Atonement
by Tribun
Summary: When Prince Zuko got banished from the Fire Nation, someone else decides to go with him. However, both of them can't imagine that huge powers are working in the background and meeting with the Avatar and his friends is just the start. The End of the future changes the present.
1. Prologue

**I've started this story after revistiting a concept I've sketched out years ago but never wrote after all, since I had other things to write at the time. When I picked this up again, I thought to give it a try and write it up, especially after seeing to comics nd the Korra series, which finally gave me the needed ideas.**

**If you see the format you can by now see by my other works, that I've specialised in letting the canon story go in interesting directions by changing on factor, which ripples through the story. I found this gave me more freedom in my writing than other ways of doing so.**

**For now this and the first chapter are a test. If feedback is positive, I'll write further chapters for this story.**

**Chapter-specific notes are always at the end of the chapter to prevent spoilers.**

* * *

**Avatar**

_**Atonement**_

_"Things have changed. In the past, the sages were loyal only to the Avatar. When Roku died, the sages eagerly awaited for the next Avatar to return. But he never came. They lost hope the Avatar would ever return. When Fire Lord Sozin began the War, my grandfather and the other sages were forced to follow him. I never wanted to serve the Fire Lord. When I learned you were coming, I knew I would have to betray the other sages."_

_-Shyu_

**Prologue**

Night had settled over Crescent Island, location of the main temple of the Fire Sages. For many generations, said sages had faithfully served the Avatar, but these times were long past by now. Fire Lord Sozin had seen them as untrustworthy, so after he'd wiped out the Air Nomads, he'd started to change to order to his liking. His predecessor Azulon had perfected it. Now, the sages were only loyal to the Fire Lord.

Not that the current Fire Lord Azulon had much interest in them. After all... it was not they were needed for much anymore.

While in the past many of their duties had been connected to the Avatar and be a presence in the Fire Nation in order to give its people spiritual guidance, this was no longer the case. The government had declared that the people of the Fire Nation no longer had need for spiritual things, that they'd outgrown it. Nowadays, the order was mostly there for ceremonial purposes.

The most excitement they'd experienced recently had been the birth of the first son of Prince Ozai and Lady Ursa. Even though he'd only be the fourth in the line of ascension - his uncle Prince Iroh, his father Ozai and his cousin Lu Ten being set before him - and thus would probably never be close to the throne, the people of the Fire Nation still had celebrated the birth of their new prince Zuko, even though Ozai seemed less than enthusiastic.

_How the mighty have fallen..._ thought Shyu about the state of the order, while kneeling in front of the big statue of Avatar Roku, surrounded by clouds of incense in the air.

Shyu was a very young man, having not even reached the age of twenty, and yet he was already rising in the ranks of the sages. While most of his age were still mere novices, he was already appointed to take the place of a sage who would soon retire. It ha helped that his family had strong a connection to the order and thus it came easy to them.

He'd been unable to sleep. Recently, his dreams had been plagued by horrible visions of a world in flames - complete destruction. Everything else was a confusing mess of faces, lights and screams he'd been unable to decypher. He only knew one thing: it was disturbing him greatly. However, tonight something new had been added to the nightmare. Horrible darkness had engulfed the world, erasing all kind of life in its lethal embrace.

He knew he was one of the few sages that still remained loyal to the Avatar, but it still didn't explain his restlessness. Taking some deep breaths, he looked into the eyes of Roku's statue, and gasped when he saw a faint shimmer in the eyes.

"Could it be? After all these years?" Looking closer, he was mesmerized by them and he found himself in a place that clearly wasn't not the temple's inner sanctum. "What is this?"

"Be at peace."

Shyu now saw her. A young woman who clearly was from the Water Tribes, her skin darkened and her eyes a crystal blue, her hair put into a long ponytail. Yet she was translucent, like a spirit. She also looked very sad, as if the weight of the world lasted on her shoulders. He then remembered that the next Avatar was to be born to the Water Tribes. Could she be the Avatar?

"Are you...?"

The woman seemed to have anticipated his question. "I'm the Avatar that will be. Your world's Avatar will come to you in due time, though it will be years. I don't have much time. I have come to tell you, that what could have been will now never be."

Shyu was taken aback. "Meddling with the wheels of fate is very dangerous and can have unpredictable results. Why are you taking this risk?"

She now looked even more sad than before. "My world has been torn asunder. Many mistakes have been made. It looked good... and ended in disaster. Everything is fading away as if it had never existed. My friends are all gone and I have no idea if I will even exist in the first place after what I am about to do."

Shyu saw how she seemed resigned to her fate. "There is no hope for you?"

"Only your Avatar can save me now... I pray you find him before I vanish as well..." She tried to compose herself, yet a single tear of despair escaped her.

Everything vanished, leaving Shyu in the inner sanctum. Roku's eyes had stopped glowing.

Dazed, he walked out of the sanctum and to an outside area, where he looked to the sky to see the crescent moon in the sky. He tried to make sense of what he'd been told. That the next Avatar, who clearly was of the Water Tribes had pretty much told him the Avatar from the Air Nomads was still alive had been a surprise. Yet, the other things she'd told him were disturbing.

She'd told him her world was dissolving, fading away.

He had no idea what kind of power could cause the world to simply... vanish, as if it had never existed in the first place. In a way he understood her desperation and willingness to meddle with fate itself, even if she'd vanish as a result. She'd already lost everyone close to her heart and had nothing to lose anymore. He could only hope her meddling wouldn't lead to things actually turning for the worse.

He again looked to the moon, which seemed brighter than it had been some moments ago. _Avatar, wherever you are right now, the world needs you._

_**to be continued...**_

* * *

**Notes:**

**I think it is very easy to guess who this girl is. While I never got really warm with the series, Korra herself is a favourite of mine.**

**Now, if you've seen season 2 of Korra, you can have a very good guess which situation has made Korra desperate enough to do this.**


	2. In the Beginning

**I've started this story after revistiting a concept I've sketched out years ago but never wrote after all, since I had other things to write at the time. When I picked this up again, I thought to give it a try and write it up, especially after seeing to comics nd the Korra series, which finally gave me the needed ideas.**

**If you see the format you can by now see by my other works, that I've specialised in letting the canon story go in interesting directions by changing on factor, which ripples through the story. I found this gave me more freedom in my writing than other ways of doing so.**

**For now the prologue and this first chapter are a test. If feedback is positive, I'll write further chapters for this story.**

**Chapter-specific notes are always at the end of the chapter to prevent spoilers.**

* * *

_"I guess you just don't know people as well as you think you do. You miscalculated. I love Zuko more than I fear you."_

_-Mai_

**Chapter 1: In the Beginning...**

_He saw them. A man riding on a dragon, another man lying on the ground while the volcano devastated everything around them. He couldn't see their faces, but felt that he should know them. In the end, the dragon-rider betrayed the other and left him to die in the inferno._

_He saw a headpiece of alien design flying towards him in darkness and suddenly a gush of blood hit it. The blood screaming of a wrong that needed atonement._

_A blazing, huge trail of fire filled the sky, coloring it red. Screams of terror and pain filled the air while fire and smoke blocked the view on whatever was behind it... Something horrible had happened._

_The night was dark and only brightened by occasional bolts of lightning in the sky. He saw someone being hanged on a tree, the body still frozen in the final struggle. He crept closer, fearing what he could see. Suddenly the lightning illuminated the face of the hanged person and terror filled him._

_It was his own face, frozen in pure terror._

...

"Ahhh! No! No..." Breathing heavily, Zuko needed some time before he realized that he was back in his bed, safe in his room in the palace. It had all been a dream. A dream that he'd thought he'd forgotten long ago.

When he'd been younger he'd been plagued by this nightmare numerous times, waking up in the middle of the night screaming and crying to the great concern of his mother. Thankfully, the nightmares had stopped after some time and he'd almost forgotten them by now. That the dream had now returned made him uneasy, even though the teenager tried to act like a man that shouldn't be bothered by such things.

Finally trying to dismiss the thought, Zuko went mechanically through his morning routine, while his thoughts wandered to today's highlight. His father was holding a war council. Many important military leaders would be present. Hopefully showing his father his interest in the affairs of the state would finally get him some well-deserved recognition.

Recognition... The common man might think his life as the Crown Prince was easy.

However, it was the exact opposite. His father had always favored Azula, mostly ignoring him when not commenting on how he felt that his son was no competition to his daughter. And everyone else mostly ignored him. Ever since this fateful day when his mother had left forever, everyone else avoided even talking about her and since he'd been always close to her, they avoided him as a part of the package.

Essentially, the tenth year of his life had also been the worst. First there came the death of his cousin, the Prince Lu Ten. He and Lu Ten had always been close, Lu Ten had treated him like the younger brother he'd never had. It had been his cousin's encouragement that had made him ask his mother if he could learn the way of the sword. For Zuko, being good at swordfighting compensated for his mediocre firebending skills, where he was always shown up by Azula. Lu Ten's death had hurt him a lot.

Then there was his uncle Iroh. Iroh had been more of a father to him than his real father had ever been. Whenever Lu Ten visited him, Iroh wasn't far and his smile was telling that he enjoyed seeing them bonding. When Lu Ten had died, Iroh had been devastated. It had been painful to seen his uncle being broken with grief. It had taken a long time, but in recent months his uncle had finally returned to his old self, although much more laid back. Whenever he had questions, he went to him. His uncle also seemed immune to his occasional fits of anger and fiery temper. Iroh was one of the two persons that were close to him.

As for the other one...a small smile crept up his features.

Ever since they'd met, Mai had shown a genuine interest in him. Not because he was the crown prince -that was the way her parents thought and the reason she was allowed to be constantly around him - but because she actually liked him. Of course it was difficult to get used to her outer shell. Mai was a very nice girl, but her parents' constant lessons on how she had to act had made Mai to guard her inner being carefully. To others she looked disinterested and even cold, but Zuko knew better. He was one of the few she'd allowed to see her real self. It was a sign of deep trust and Zuko hoped that with some guidance he could help Mai to become more open and outgoing (but not too much, he liked how she could be a real deadpan snarker).

His mood worsened once he thought about who usually hung around with Mai, not that she had much of a choice in the matter.

He didn't mind that girl Ty Lee, she was annoying as if always on a sugar high, but at least never did anything to make him dislike her. No, the real problem was his sister Azula. Ever since their mother had disappeared, Azula, sure of being protected by her father, had become unbearable. His mother's calming influence gone, Azula had made his life hell. She liked to make him - and therefore by proxy Mai - miserable, showing him up whenever possible. Perfect Azula, daddy's girl. She was better at everything. The only incident he could remember where she'd screwed up had been a year ago.

Back then Azula had finally managed to create a blue fire, something that required lots of skill as they were hotter... and more dangerous as Azula had learned seconds later the hard way when it burned her hand. She'd been forced to wear a bandage on her hand for three weeks and forbidden from doing any firebending by the doctor, something that had caused her to sulk and make herself rare. But ever since then, she more and more used blue flames, despite the grave dangers of that technique.

No, he didn't want thoughts of his sister ruin his day. After all, today would be his day. He knew that his uncle would be there as well, so gaining entrance wouldn't be the problem. He could show his father and uncle, that he was ready to had a more substantial role in the affairs of state, compensating for his lacking firebending

Nothing could go wrong.

Of course he had to run into Azula on his way. "Oh, ZuZu, I would imagine Mai is somewhere waiting for you, considering you're running this fast," she teased.

He hated it when she made fun of Mai, but right now he ha other things on his mind. "Don't waste my time, Azula. I have a council to attend to."

"You? Attend the war council?" It was clear she thought it was a joke. "Well, I won't stop you. After all, I can't wait for you to embarrass yourself in front of father and all the generals."

Zuko tried to push down the anger. She was always out to hurt him where it was especially painful. Ignoring her, he walked deeper into the palace towards the war chambers. He would show Azula that she was wrong and that there was something he was good at.

No, he not only wanted to finally gain his father's recognition, he also wanted to show off against Azula.

* * *

_...some hours later..._

Mai really wondered what was going on. Normally, the palace was as boring as a place could be during that time of the day. But today there were many noblemen walking towards the Agni Kai arena. That could only mean a duel; a big one at that considering she saw that it was the top crop of the VIP's entering. Yet she had no idea who it could be that were dueling.

Not that she was interested in two overblown firebenders burning off each others faces, and that was for two reasons.

For one, she had never understood why people were putting so much importance on firebending. While she did see its uses, coming from a family of non-benders had made her question why benders felt so superior to anyone else. Considering how ofter Zuko was belittled for his lack in bending skill, it made her even more disgusted at how some benders thought of themselves as superior.

The other reason was that she had better things to do with Zuko. She was waiting for Zuko so that he could escort her. Ever since her parents had gotten it into their heads that she and Zuko were a perfect match - which had happened even long before Zuko's mother had vanished - she was at the palace quite often, the guards by now didn't even blink when seeing her walk in.

Good thing that she liked Zuko. Unlike all these boring sons of other nobles who either were annoyingly arrogant or snobs, Zuko - despite his position as crown prince - treated her like a friend and not as a stepping stone on the social ladder. Also, another reason why she liked him was, that in his loneliness, he was the only one who understood her reason for hiding her emotions. Sure, Zuko was a hot-head and easily angered, trying to go with the head through the wall more often than not. But once you know him, you couldn't help but to like him.

_Where is he...? _Mai wondered. Zuko never was late. She wondered if he'd had a run-in with Azula. Recently his sister had taken a delight in sabotaging their private life for her own amusement.

"Oh, Mai..."

_Oh great, I shouldn't have thought of her... _she silently groaned.

Mai knew that voice, as much as she hated to admit it. It was the bane of Zuko's existence and a constant annoyance. Mai would've told her to shove off long ago, if not for the fact that she was of the royal family and could pretty much incinerate her in seconds without breaking a sweat.

"Hello, Azula," she greeted her neutrally, erasing every emotion from her voice.

Due to social obligations put onto her by her parents, she was forced to spend time with Azula. Sometimes it ordered on torture. This was made worse by that other girl from a noble family, Ty Lee. Ty Lee always acted as if high on sugar and her hyper-activeness clashed horribly with Mai's more reserved personality. She didn't dislike Ty Lee on a personal level, the girl was simply too nice for it, but spending time with her was giving her a migraine. Yet she endured all of it stonically.

Azula was leaning against a pillar, looking as smug as ever, as if she owned the entire world. "If you are waiting for little ZuZu, you'll be in for a long wait. He's occupied."

"Occupied?" Mai didn't like the way Azula had smirked when saying that. It spelled trouble. Mai wondered what scheme Azula now had cooked up to embarrass them.

Azula's smirk deepened, when she saw that she'd hooked Mai. She knew what would happen today and she wanted Mai to witness it first hand. This hopefully would make her finally realize what a failure her brother was. It would have to added bonus of not only seeing Zuko's humiliation, but to also crush anything that was between him and Mai.

"Oh yes... My brother really got himself into deep trouble during the war council and he's about to fight because of it... Want to get in?" she offered.

_Zuko...in an Agni Kai? Zuko, you stupid idiot! I want you to stay in one piece!_

Mai silently nodded and Azula led her towards the arena, her presence allowing Mai to enter without trouble. It was packed with noblemen and she could see Zuko waiting for his opponent on the arena floor. Quickly following Azula, she was guided to the front row, from where she would have the best view of the upcoming battle.

She grimaced slightly when she saw that she'd be forced to sit beside Captain Zhao. An incredibly arrogant and ambitious man that creeped her out to no end. Her mood brightened when she saw General Iroh and that he'd be to her left. She'd always liked him, since he treated her well and was always supportive of Zuko.

Sitting down she got a supportive look from Iroh but didn't miss the look of grave concern, as if he knew something that she didn't. "I didn't expect you to be here, young Mai."

"I was looking for Zuko. Azula told me he's in trouble. What happened?" she finally asked.

Iroh sighed. "During the war meeting, one general made a suggestion that would have sacrificed many troops just to gain an advantage. Zuko openly said it was disgraceful to throw away the lives of our soldiers that way. Of course he was right, but it wasn't his place to say so. My brother was very angry about it and said the only way to settle this matter would be an Agni Kai. Zuko looked at the old general and said he doesn't fear anything. I have the feeling my brother plans something else..."

"And whatever happens, he deserves it. Crown prince or not, Prince Zuko is an embarrassment for the royal family. Better have that blight removed," Captain Zhao commented, smirking nastily.

"You seem to know what is about to happen, Captain Zhao," Iroh observed, not liking this at all.

The smirk became more nasty. "I don't want to ruin the surprise."

There was no time to ask, when the gong was hit and everyone went silent when Zuko's opponent entered the arena. And Mai... was shocked.

Facing Zuko was his father, Fire Lord Ozai.

Zuko also seemed to realize right at that moment that he'd screwed up big time. No way he could ever hold his own against his father! "Please father, I only had the Fire Nation's best interests at heart! I'm sorry I spoke out of turn!" he begged.

Ozai didn't seem to care, while slowly advancing. "You will fight for your honor," Ozai demanded.

Zuko fell to his hands and knees, and started to beg for forgiveness even more. "I meant you no disrespect! I am your loyal son!"

Ozai still wasn't moved and came even closer. "Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!" he demanded, seemingly starting to lose his patience.

Zuko fells all the way to the ground and declared in a last-ditch attempt to stop this madness "I won't fight you." He was crying at that point as much in desperation as in fear. Fearfully looking up, he saw his father standing directly in front of him.

Ozai's eyes were hard, while looking at his son in sheer disgust. "You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher." Suddenly his hand shot out, the palm connecting with the left side of Zuko's face and it lit up with fire.

**"AAAAAHHHHHHH!" **Zuko's cries of pain filled the arena, while part of his face was burned. Then Ozai carelessly let him fall to the ground, while addressing the spectators. "In his refusal to fight, he has shown shameful weakness. He will suffer the consequences..."

Ozai went on to publically demolish Zuko, but Mai didn't hear anymore. Seeing Zuko's face getting destroyed by his own father's hand, his screams of pain, his desperation... It was as if a sword had been thrust through her heart. She just saw Zuko being carried away by the medics, before Iroh gently took her by the shoulders and led her out of the arena. She'd also seen Azula's face... the girl was actually smiling, seemingly finding this to be great entertainment.

"Young Mai, how are you holding up?" Iroh asked as soon as they'd left.

She finally shook herself out of it. "Zuko... he needs you more than anyone else... I..." It was a sign that her emotional control was crumbling when she hiccuped and shed a single tear. "I... need to go home."

After instructing a guard to escort Mai back home, Iroh rushed away to attend to Zuko. Mai managed to walk back home under her own power, and even made it back to her room, before she collapsed onto her bed in utter exhaustion. Her bottled up emotions slammed down onto her with brutal force. Everything she'd witnessed and felt in this horrible arena was coming back to her now.

It was a mercy that everything went black a few moments later.

o

Persistent knocking on her door managed to finally rouse Mai out of her troubled sleep. Looking through the window, she saw that it was already dark outside. Mai felt horrible while she slowly got up. She had obviously cried in her sleep - the one time when her emotions were not in check. as her face was full of dried tears, and her hair looked like a tangled mess, not to speak of how her dress looked like after sleeping in it. However, she no longer cared.

Unlocking the door, she came face to face with her father, who gasped when seeing his normally prestine daughter in such a state. "Mai, what...?"

Mai rudely cut him off, her control right now not existing. "What do you want?"

Finally composing himself, her father told her "You can no longer see Prince Zuko. Don't even darken our house with his name. His majesty has declared that he has brought great shame over himself and ordered him to be banished from the Fire Nation. His only way of redemption will be to catch the Avatar." His face betrayed the thought that this was impossible. "His ship leaves in two days. I want you to forget him right away."

That said, her father left her alone.

Locking the door again, Mai's emotions were in chaos. She'd witnessed an act that couldn't be topped in cruelty, and now Zuko was thrown out of the Fire Nation as well. She had to stop herself from throwing up. This was all so wrong.

_In just a few hours he will be gone...forever._ Mai only slowly realized what that meant. She could picture Azula erecting a mock-tombstone just to celebrate her ascension to becoming an only child.

_Imagine Azula as Fire Lord. Horrible thought,_ she thought when bringing this to its logical conclusion.

Mai also realized what this would mean for her future. Her parents would now be hell-bent on marrying her off to some nobleman's son as fast as possible, and even would be less picky after Zuko's dishonor. She also would now be totally defenseless again Azula's cruelty, which surely would now turn to her after her main target was no longer there.

Not only Zuko's future looked bleak, but her own as well.

Thinking about it, there was only little that held her in this place. Her parents treated her like an asset for their political ascension, a resource for a political marriage to someone powerful. Azula just wanted her around for her own amusement, which often was not in Mai's interest. Ty Lee was unable to understand her at all. Everyone wanted her to be a proper, submissive girl.

_No...never. _It might be a rash decision, but it was time to finally take her destiny into her own hands. Even if her parents would disown her for it.

* * *

_...the docks, day of Zuko's banishment..._

Mai should have known.

Looking at the ship which would be perhaps Zuko's home for the rest of his days, it was clear that Ozai had moved to humiliate Zuko even further. Instead of one of the bigger, more modern warships, it was an older model just a fourth of the size of the current big warships. After all, Zuko was no Azula and Ozai wanted to clearly show his contempt. Judging by the activity at the open front bay, the dock workers were busy with loading the ship with its supplies - at least Ozai had been unable to deny Zuko the right to replenish his stocks from the Fire Navy.

She was stopped in her thoughts when she saw Zuko and Iroh approaching.

It had come as no surprise to her that Iroh had decided to join Zuko in his banishment. The man deeply cared for him and also took this as his chance to escape from the backstabbing of the court. Zuko seemed uneasy on his feet, his uncle having to steady him while he stumbled several times. Clearly painkillers were making it difficult for him to move.

Zuko had also changed alarmingly in just two days.

He had all his hair shaved off apart from his ponytail - the mark of someone who believes to be an outcast - and the left side of his face was covered in bandages. But the worst was his face. While Zuko by far wasn't an angel, Mai was deeply disturbed by the deep look of hurt and anger that twisted his features, as if something had died within him, making space for something more nasty to take its place. It reminded Mai why she felt she was making the right decision.

Seeing some big crates that would be loaded next, she quickly snuck herself and her bag in. Moments later she felt the crate being moved by the dock workers to the hold of the ship.

_You won't get rid of me this easily, Zuko!_

Said Zuko meanwhile had sat down on the main bridge, wanting to look as long as possible at his home through the windows, before they would leave, possibly forever. He still felt weak on his legs thanks to the painkillers he was forced to take and only now ha time to let everything sink in after the rush of the previous days.

To never return home... Even though he was fanatically holding on the idea that finding the Avatar would return everything to how it was before, deep inside he knew he'd be on a lifelong, futile quest. All of the Fire Lords had devoted years on the search to find the Avatar, but he'd never been found, most likely was dead and the circle broken. Part of him didn't want to accept this, but the hard facts were there.

_No, I won't let this get me down!_ he swore.

And then there were the people he'd leave behind. He didn't have many people that cared for him. Some of the palace staff would surely quit after he was gone, as it was just his kind treatment of them that had made them stay. And he'd be forced to leave her behind. Perhaps it would be better this way, as Mai would not be forced to share his dishonor. He didn't care that he wouldn't see Azula again, for him that was a good thing.

Leaning on the map table, Zuko took a look at the map of the world. It was up-to-date and showed the parts of the Earth Kingdom controlled by the Fire Nation, with a darker red area at the western coast marking the colonial territories, which were part of the Fire Nation itself. If he even wanted to have success in his hunt, as dim as the chances were, he would have to make a plan. He'd start at the Western Air Temple, which was closest to the Fire Nation, then start a clockwise sweep around the Earth Kingdom to check the other three temples.

Right now it was the only thing he could do, regardless how worn out this path was.

"How are you feeling, nephew?" Iroh asked, walking up beside him. "All preparations are complete and I see that it only now seems to sink in."

Zuko looked very tired. "I want to scream they can't do this to me, but in the end it is all my fault. I just want to get out of here as quick as possible, before I even have to face a crowd seeing me off."

Iroh knew, right now Zuko was still mostly in shock, but this would soon give in to anger. "At least I was able to get a decent crew."

Zuko sighed. "Do I even want to know how you managed to get a crew to travel with an outcast for many years to come?"

Iroh looked sad. "I have cashed in many old favors. I selected men who have lost their families to the war or never had any. They won't mind probably leaving home forever, as they have nothing to return to. I also made sure that they will be loyal to you."

Zuko was moved how much his uncle did for him. "At least something. Hopefully it won't come to this. I will find the Avatar, regardless the cost."

Now it was Iroh, who sighed. "Prince Zuko, your father, grandfather and great-grandfather all searched for the Avatar and never found him. As much as I hate to say it, the chances for a quick success are very slim."

Zuko grimaced. "I don't care. I'll move over every stone, if it does help me to find him and restore my honor and allow me to return home."

_Zuko, if you only knew that nothing would again be as it was,_ Iroh thought sadly, while walking with Zuko to the outside of the command tower, where the highest-ranked officer was waiting for them. It was just a Lieutenant, since even Iroh hadn't collected enough favors to give them a proper Captain to command the ship. Another brick in the wall of humiliation.

"Lieutenant Jee, are we ready for departure?" Iroh asked.

"Yes, everything is on board, the whole crew has reported in, the machines are under steam and the rhinos are in their stables. We are ready for departure," he reported, while eying Zuko carefully.

Zuko took one last look at his home. He had expected Azula to give him a mocking sendoff, but it seemed she wasn't in the mood. Mai also wasn't present on the docks. It seemed she didn't want to be sullied by his dishonor. This was how he left home: scorned by everyone.

"The let's go. No need to overstay our welcome. Set course for the Western Air Temple. It's outside of national waters and we have to start somewhere."

Zuko remained outside, watching the coastline becoming smaller as they passed the gates of Azulon. Then, the gates vanished behind the horizon. Now, and only now did he feel the reality of it. He'd lost his home.

* * *

_...a week later, Western Air Temple..._

"What a stunning view..." Iroh commented, while enjoying the view from this wonderful temple that hung upside-down under a cliff, abandoned for nearly 100 years now.

"The only view I'm only interested to see is the Avatar in chains," Zuko growled, not caring in the slightest.

Iroh was very concerned with Zuko. The whole situation had sunk in after departing from the Fire Nation, and he had changed a lot for the worse. His nephew, once a teenager like many with some faults, had become hard and locked away his inner being. Right now he only radiated anger and determination. Iroh feared that if that was Zuko after only a week of banishment, how would he be after years?

"You know, I told you the Avatar hasn't been seen in 100 years. The chances of finding him here are very slim," Iroh reminded Zuko.

Zuko acted, as if he hadn't heard. "First we check each of the temples. Then we scour the world, even the most remote locations, until we find him."

They had not found much in the temple, apart from the remains ouf countless female airbenders - after all this temple was only open to females. Thnaks to being close to the Fire Nation, all remains of the soldiers had been returned home for burial, leaving the temple a giant tomb. It was a beautiful and yet so horrifying place. Even Zuko in his emotional hardening had quickly left the bone-filled inner structure, feeling unwell in the presence of so much death.

Iroh tried to put a comforting hand on Zuko's shoulder. "Prince Zuko, it's been only a week since your banishment. You should take some time to heal and rest..." He added the last thing when looking at the covered wound. The bandages would be removed in several days and he prayed that the eye was still intact.

That only helped to fuel Zuko's now ever-present rage. "What did I expect from the laziest man in the Fire Army?" Iroh shook his head in resignation, right now there wasn't any chance to appeal to his nephew there was only one person who could get through, and she wasn't here.

Zuko looked over the temple. "The only way to regain my honor is to find the Avatar... and so I will. If I have to, I will spend every day of the rest of my life hunting the Avatar. I know it's my destiny to capture him."

"You know, Prince Zuko, destiny is a funny thing. You'll never know how things will work out. But I promise you that if you keep an open mind and an open heart, you will find your own destiny some day..." he carefully told Zuko.

Zuko stayed silent, finally calming down. Maybe, Iroh hoped, there still was a chance to reason with him and stop him from sliding into the vicious circle of rage. He'd seen too many people, even good friends, giving in to the rage. They'd been changed by it until nothing remained but anger, hate and violence.

"Come, let us go back. It is obvious we won't find anything. And to be honest, I don't want to disturb the dead anymore," Iroh said further.

His rage spent for now, Zuko agreed. "Yes, let's go back. There' so much to do..."

o

Of course after the temple had been a failure, since it was as empty as their holiday home on Ember Island, it had been declared a waste of time. Zuko however wasn't angry this time. It seemed that right now he was more resigned while they boarded their ship, which was waiting for them a little off the coast. With the setting sun behind it, it almost looked beautiful.

However, Lieutenant Jee waiting for them right at the stairs was a bad sign.

"Prince Zuko, General Iroh! We have found a stowaway in the cargo hold," Jee reported, looking scandalized that something like this would happen on his ship.

"A stowaway? On my ship?" Zuko asked, clearly offended by the mere idea. "Where is that person now?"

"We put her into the brig. A girl of you age, my prince," Jee reported further, causing confusion to appear on Zuko's face.

"What's a girl doing here?" he wondered.

"Perhaps we should see the young lady in question. Surely she can enlighten us," Iroh suggested as the voice of reason. Truth to be told, he did have an idea who it could be, despite his surprise.

Jee led them into the command tower and then down the corridors under deck, until they reached the brig. "She didn't put up a fight, as if she wanted us to capture her. She only said she wants to speak with you."

"Me?" Zuko wondered. He wondered who this mysterious girl could be. Then the door opened and he stopped in his tracks when seeing who was waiting for him. "Mai?"

It was almost surreal. There stood Mai, wearing black traveling clothes, looking nonplussed at his presence. Suddenly Zuko felt so horribly ashamed that Mai saw him like this; he looked away to spare her this sight.

Obviously she didn't wanted him to do that, when she calmly said "Zuko, look at me when I speak with you."

Zuko gulped, before turning to face her, enduring her inspection of his face. Finally, he managed to overcome his reluctance to speak. "Mai... W-what are you doing here?" He hadn't expected to ever see her again, so he had had no way to prepare for her presence.

"What does it look like?" Mai knew, sometimes Zuko could be really dense.

Finally, Iroh felt that he should get things to order. "-Ahem- Prince Zuko, I think we should be more comfortable talking at a more hospitable place than the brig."

Mai couldn't help but to show a small smirk, while Zuko finally got his act together. However, she then turned serious again. "Can I use the ship's bathroom first? I haven't washed myself in a week and I've learned to appreciate a proper bathroom." She said the last thing while not trying to remember a certain bucket she'd been forced to use.

Now that she said it, Mai didn't look the cleanest, her hair looked dull and she did smell... a lot. Iroh told Zuko to show Maito the bathroom while he'd make some tea for the occasion, so that they could discuss the whole issue like civilized people. He also was glad to see how Zuko's rage had been drained away by Mai's presence.

And so it came that all of them sat at a table of the mess room half an hour later, Iroh serving them some tea, waiting for Mai to tell them how she came to be on their ship. Mai looked presentable again and even the smell was gone now.

Finally, Mai spoke. "I think you want to know how and why I'm here?"

"That would be a good start. We're far away from the Fire Nation." Zuko shook his head. "Mai... why did you do that? Losing everything you have."

"It started at the palace. You remember you promised to spend the afternoon with me?" Seeing Zuko's reaction, it was clear that he only now remembered. "I didn't find you, instead Azula told me that you have to face someone in a duel. And she offered me to accompany her. And I saw..."

**-WHAM- **Zuko slammed his fist on the table, causing the tea cups to shake. "Damn it! She knew! She did that to hurt you!"

"Prince Zuko! Please let young Mai continue and don't break my tea cups!" Iroh scolded the teenager and Zuko went silent. "Good. Mai, please continue..." Iroh said, while filling their cups.

Mai was thankful for Iroh being present to temper Zuko's anger. "I know that now... her smile should have warned me... It certainly fits with her personality to hurt everyone around herself. Zuko, I've never cried before, but that day I was very tempted to do so. Then I realized that the life I led was pretty boring and empty anyway, so I decided that I should go with you."

"Just like that?" Zuko wondered.

"What, should I've first asked a committee?" Mai sarcastically wondered, making Zuko feel stupid. "It might have been a quick decision, but I was sure of it and prepared thoroughly."

"You could have asked," Zuko protested.

"And risk being rejected because you felt too sorry for yourself? I hid away on your ship and waited until we are far away from the Fire Nation before revealing myself. You can't simply send me back, so you are stuck with me, if you want or not," she finished her explanation, now waiting for Zuko's reaction while she took a sip from Iroh's delicious tea.

Zuko shook his head. "You know that your parents will find out very soon where you went to. While I really doubt that they can send the navy after us, you can bet the first port we enter to re-stock our supplies, there will be soldiers to take you back to them."

A small smirk entered Mai's features. " Oh, they already know thanks to a letter left behind. Let this be my problem. Should I manage that they do not find me, then I think I've proven that I can manage very well to stay on board permanently ." She then crossed her arms. "Of course that depends on you allowing me to stay."

Zuko looked to his uncle for guidance, but the old man only shook his head. "This is a decision that only you can make."

Zuko felt torn. On one hand he really wanted to have Mai around, he longed for someone (besides his uncle) sharing his exile, so that he wouldn't be lonely and Mai was something he'd secretly wished for. One the other hand he really didn't want to have Mai being disowned by her parents and having her to endure an exile that wasn't hers in the first place. Then it hit him that he hadn't paid attention. Mai had pretty much stated that she was willing to accept all this, just to be with him.

Now he felt guilty. How could he deny her, after she'd already made these sacrifices? "All right... You can stay... Mai, you can be damn convincing... I only hope you won't regret your decision."

Mai looked pleased (for her standards). "Don't worry... I know I won't."

Iroh then shook his head after watching the whole exchange between the teenagers. "I must warn you. All these days at sea are very dull. Hope you have a high boredom tolerance or buy lots of books to bridge all the empty time."

Mai grimaced. She hadn't thought of _that_.

* * *

_...some days later..._

Zuko winced when the ships's doctor slowly removed the bandages from the left side of his face. It wasn't so much the pain but the fact that Mai and Iroh were watching. They'd see his disfigured face, the result of his stupidity. He could only imagine the horror on their faces, although Iroh had already seen the wound when it was still fresh. He thankfully didn't remember this.

He tried very hard to think of other things while the bandages were slowly peeled off.

The last days had been very unusual for the crew. They had to get used to a girl now living together with them on the ship. It would take time, especially if said girl wasn't the usual stuck-up nobility. Mai had gained their respect right away by demonstrating her fighting and knife-throwing skills, which even with her only being 12 years old were already considerable. That, and they were grateful for her managing the unthinkable: calming down the otherwise always foul-mooded Prince Zuko.

But things weren't easy for Mai either. The room she'd moved in, by 'coincidence' the one next to Zuko's room thanks to Iroh, was quite empty and still needed a personal touch. She needed lots of stuff in the next port as well, including some feminine articles that Zuko wanted to forget as fast as possible. Iroh had commented she was a little young for these and she'd countered that better now than forgetting them until it would been long until the next port.

She also had to get used to life at sea. Hiding herself in the cargo hold was different from being on deck. The first time she had been there, she'd become sick from watching the motion of the sea and thrown up her breakfast on one unfortunate crewman. Even though she was trying to hide it, she'd been very embarrassed about this incident.

She did also have some trouble to adjust to life on the ship, which was very different from the life she'd lived up to now. At first she'd tried to hide it, but finally she'd told Iroh that she was bored and was in desperate need of something to do, regardless what. Iroh had suggested that honing her skill together with others would be a good idea. Mai didn't seem to know if she should do that and hadn't made a decision yet.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when the final bandage came off.

It felt so strange to have the scar tissue being exposed to the air. Carefully, he tried to open his left eye and it worked... partially. He was unable to fully open it, but at least he was still able to see with it without problems and have unobscured depth vision. He then looked to the others to see how they are reaction to this.

Iroh's and Mai's reactions were difficult to interpret. Iroh was obviously trying to hold his emotions in check, yet he looked sad. Mai was trying to hide behind her mask, but her concern was undeniable. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore. "Mirror! I want to see how bad it is!"

The ship's doctor handed him a mirror and Zuko looked at what was left of the left side of his face... It looked horrible. The burn scar totally ruined his once good looks. He looked like a freakshow. Setting down the mirror, he closed his eyes and a tear escaped him.

"I look like a freak..."

Zuko felt like sinking into the ground, when suddenly he felt someone holding his hands. Opening his eyes, he saw Mai looking sternly at him. "Mai...?"

"Zuko..." Mai told him in her no-nonsense voice. "You are no freak. You might think different, but for me you are still the good-looking young Fire Prince who managed to lighten up my life. So don't you dare to sell yourself short!... Or I'll beat some sense into you!"

Zuko blinked. Mai still thought that he look good? "Uh... really?"

"Yes, stupid. Others might not see beyond the scar, but they are idiots to do so. It doesn't matter to me. So let me spell it out for you: You. Are. Not. Ugly."

Suddenly the whole thing didn't look as bad as Zuko had feared at first.

Iroh couldn't help himself and smiled a little. After all the deep injuries Zuko had went through recently in body as in mind, this was the first step to heal them. He didn't even want to imagine what would have happened to Zuko, had Mai not run away from home. He surely would have brooded over his perceived failures and become reclusive, short-tempered and easy to anger. Young Mai was very good at dousing these flames with her direct no-nonsense way.

Both of them still were a bit to young to think of each other in romantic terms, but he was sure, he would have to be more watchful in due time, once the teenage hormones would run amok within them. After all, it wouldn't do to have a teenage pregnancy on this ship.

_My dear nephew, you are just starting to explore the secrets of life,_ he mused.

* * *

_...a week later, fire-colony port..._

_Exactly as I've suspected... _Zuko thought, when he saw the soldiers at the dock waiting for his ship to lower the ramp.

He'd warned Mai that her parents would not tolerate her little rebellion and use their influence to get her back home as soon as possible. It wasn't something they could avoid. Now he hoped that Mai could hold word and not get caught, although he wondered how she could do this on a ship with limited hiding space.

Waiting on deck, he was approached by a fat officer and ten soldiers. It was obvious these guys never saw any combat and were just part of the police force of the colony. His crew obviously had no respect for them and Lt. Jee look at them as if they were something on the underside of his boots. He might not know much about his most senior officer, but Zuko had to admit his uncle had selected an interesting character for the job.

The officer showed him an open scroll with the orders. "Prince Zuko, we have orders from the capital. You are housing the runaway daughter from a noble house on your ship. We are under orders to get her back to her parents in the Fire Nation right away."

Zuko tried to play it cool. After his father and his generals, it was difficult to intimidate him. "Search through the entire ship if you want. I have nothing to hide."

"You can bet that we will..." He turned to his soldiers. "All right, men. Take this tin can apart! I want every rathole searched until she's found."

Zuko leaned against the boardside railing, hoping that Mai's hiding skills would prove adequate. "Tell your soldiers that if they break something, I'll make them pay for it, one way or another!" he yelled to the officer as an afterthought.

Although he'd little to say in his banishment and his authority was now quite limited, seeing the man gulp proved again that even banished royality held a certain respect. It also convinced him that this worm wouldn't make any trouble and right now was no longer worth his time. He had other issues to attend to.

Zuko then saw his uncle approaching. "Now it's up to her... I hate just standing around and this could take hours!"

Iroh wasn't surprised, Zuko had always been a little impatient. "Well, if you hate doing nothing, maybe you can make yourself useful for her. She gave me a list of the things she needs and right now we have the time. It will take them, as you said, hours to search through the entire ship."

Zuko had never liked shopping. That was one of the few things on which he agreed on with Azula. Already as a child he'd hated it when his mother had taken him along on a stroll through the high-class shops in the palace city. However, for Mai he'd make an exception. Thankfully, even if she were along, Mai wasn't the kind of girl that like window-shopping -the polar opposite of Ty Lee whose shopping antics, which Zuko had seen exactly one time, still made him shudder.

"Let me see that list..." Zuko went through the items, noting that all of it made sense and blushed when reading what some of the items were. Even being royalty didn't make him immune to the embarrassments of a teenager. "Let's get two of our men and get over with it. It's not that we have anything better to do..."

Zuko only hoped that it wouldn't be too bad.

As if he'd dared karma, Iroh suddenly had an idea. "Some of the crew are really good with instruments and we can have a regular music night! Maybe I should buy a tsungi horn! "

Zuko's eyes had widened in horror when remembering his music lessons in the palace school when hearing the word 'music night'. However, when hearing the name of the instrument, he turned sad. "Uncle Iroh! Please... no tsungi horn."

Iroh knew exactly what this reaction had brought on and he looked a little sad himself. "I know you still miss him. I remember you and Lu Ten playing the horn in a duet. Maybe by playing the horn, you can honor his memory. Maybe Mai is even interested learning from you how to use it."

"I doubt it, she once told me that the music lessons in the girl's lycaeum had bored her to death and all these girls playing their instruments wrong had hurt her ears," Zuko commented, remembering the foul mood Mai'd been in after an especially bad lesson.

"Oh, then she'll be surprised and forget these experiences, especially once she hears Lt. Jee's skill on the pipa."

Zuko by now knew, music night was a set event and he'd have to live with it.

o

Some hours later - the sun was already low on the horizon - they finally returned to their ship.

Zuko was close to cursing. While he wasn't a big shopper, his uncle was the exact opposite and needed to be kept away from all kinds of bazaars. He'd remembered this little fact too late and it had kept them for almost two hours, resulting in his uncle, after lots of window-shopping, buying a statue that looked like a cross between a fish and Komodo Rhino. Zuko really wondered why his uncle would buy such trash and what he expected it to be good for.

Everything on Mai's list got purchased, although Zuko had made Iroh buy a few things that were a little too... 'female' for his tastes. He himself had needed some things as well. Of course, the tsungi horn was unavoidable and Zuko knew, he'd soon hear it on the ship. As reluctant as he was to admit it, he did like its sound.

Of course, walking through the streets of a Fire Nation colony city had also been like running the gauntlet.

Many people were shocked when seeing the horrible scar on his face. Even many soldiers returning from the war with wounds had less prominent injuries. And of course news of his dishonor and banishment had reached the colonies. While their money was welcome, the constant whispering was proof enough that he was no exactly the most well-liked person even in the colonies.

He was actually glad to be back on his ship. At least his crew never batted an eye at his injury, even though they all knew how he'd gotten it.

Walking back on board, they saw the soldiers reporting back to their officer, handing him a scroll. The soldiers looked exhausted and one held his left leg strangely. After reading the scroll, the officer's face became red, seemingly in equal parts from anger and embarrassment. Ordering his men to get the bought stuff under deck, Zuko approached the officer, feeling that this would be good.

"Is something wrong?" he asked innocently, knowing that something indeed was wrong for the man.

The man obviously had to control himself to not scream at Zuko, proving that he felt humiliated. Wordlessly, he threw the scroll to Zuko's feet, before leaving with his men, leaving Zuko and Iroh alone. Seeing the man who'd held his leg strangely limp away, Zuko's observations was proven true.

Picking the scroll up, Zuko read it and barely managed to hold in his laughter. He read it aloud to his uncle: _"Nice try, but after taking apart the ship and not finding me, it should be clear that most of the matter in your body moved from your head to your belly. I hope it doesn't move even lower. Tell my parents that they won't get me to return to them this way."_

Iroh smiled. "I hope you can see what you have with that girl. She's not some damsel in distress. She's your equal, so treat her accordingly," he reminded his nephew, before also retreating under deck, most likely to admire his strange statue and take off the huge horn.

Only after the ship had already departed, did Mai re-appear, walking on deck as if nothing was amiss at all. It seemed that fooling and humiliating the soldiers had been great for her mood, as evidenced by her rather lax way of walking. They watched the coast vanish behind the horizon and then the sea, until finally Zuko couldn't hold back any longer.

"All right, how did you do it? They took apart the whole ship and still didn't find you," he asked her.

Mai gave him a sly and very rare smile "That remains my secret. After all, you also don't tell all of your secrets... Oh, and did you notice one of the soldiers limping? He learned the hard way that it isn't wise to anger a Komodo Rhino."

Zuko had no idea how she'd managed to hide and yet observe this mishap. It seemed that he'd grossly underestimated Mai.

* * *

_...almost two weeks later, Northern Air Temple..._

"There is definitely something going on in that temple," Zuko exclaimed, while he, Iroh and Mai were walking up the path to the Northern Air Temple.

The ship had arrived at the coast close to the temple during the night and they were right now using the early morning hours to walk up to the temple, which thankfully was easily accessible by foot. That was when Zuko had spotted three or four things flying over the temple that definitely were not birds. Could it be airbenders that had escaped the destruction brought over them by his great-grandfather Sozin?

"Yes, and there is smoke rising as well. There must be someone living up there," Mai observed, but she was more occupied with Zuko.

The fact that someone was living in the temple had risen his hopes of finding something. A hope that she feared would be crushed. After all she'd no illusions. The Avatar had vanished 100 years ago. Finding him would be impossible and by now he would've been reborn into the Water Tribes anyway. The whole thing was just set up by Ozai to slowly bring Zuko to despair the longer the search would take.

"I doubt it's airbenders. My brother had also searched the temple during his time on the quest, and he reported no sign of airbenders," Iroh reminded them. "Still, I wonder who has taken residence in this remote location?"

"Regardless who, I think we will find out soon enough. Seems we we got a welcoming committee," Mai pointed out

Indeed, while they were close to the main gate, there was someone waiting for them. Interestingly enough, it was only one man and he didn't look like a guard, more like a civilian. He looked harmless enough, a balding, bearded man who wasn't radiating any danger. In fact, he looked a little nervous when seeing them.

"I didn't expect you until later today," he quickly said, looking nervous for a reason.

"Expect us?" Iroh wondered, acting as the spokesman for the group. "We didn't even expect anyone to live here. Perhaps you expected someone from the Fire Nation?" he then pointed out, indicating at the color of their clothes.

The man did relax a little, before ushering them in through a secret passage. "No one can see you, I'll explain inside."

Some time later found them in the man's workshop, where he offered them some tea (which Iroh, being a lover of tea, gagged on, as it tasted horrible to him) while he explained the secrecy. "I had not expected someone else from the Fire Nation coming here. Please excuse the secrecy, but I really don't want the other people here to know about this."

Now, that sounded interesting, so they listened closely.

"I know you'll ask anyway, so I'll tell you everything ight away. Everyone here calls me the Mechanist, so perhaps you can do so as well." He then started his story. "Our village got destroyed by a flood two years ago. In our search for a new home, we found this deserted temple and are changing it to our own needs. Everything went well until six months ago, when a Fire Nation army discovered our new home."

"I can already guess they were not pleased with you settling in here," Iroh observed, knowing that the air temples were forbidden areas by decree of the Fire Lord.

The Mechanist looked sad. "I pleaded with them to not attack and a man that was with them, I think he's fairly high up, offered me a deal: make plans for useful machines they can use in the war and they leave us alone. I expect him today for the monthly delivery."

None of them looked happy when hearing this. It basically was cold-hearted extortion, yet there was little they could do about it. As if on cue, a bell ringed, signaling that someone was about to arrive, making the Mechanist look nervous. "Please don't anger him."

Seconds later a trap door opened and an older man in the field armor of Fire Nation nobility arrived from a floor elevator. He looked around and then his eyes fell on Zuko, Iroh and Mai. After some moments, he snorted. "Well, well, well. What unexpected company. The disfigured and banished prince, the failure of a general an a bratty runaway. What interesting company you keep."

Zuko was grounding his teeth together, while Mai did her best to hold him back. Iroh knew the man. "War Minister Qin. I am surprised that you take such chores upon yourself."

"It is not a chore since it grants me great reward." He then turned to the Mechanist. "Well, what do you have to offer?"

"I worked especially hard on this one! Please, this grant me a longer grace period?" the Mechanist asked, offering Qin rolled-up plans.

The War Minister studied the plans. "Very good, the Fire Lord will be most interested in this weapon, once we have refined it. You have earned yourself three months of peace with this one."

"So our nation has already sunk so low to use extortion," Mai said, after observing the exchange in distaste.

"It will bring great victories to our nation and distract from the shame your companions have brought over us. The Fire Lord knows when to get rid of hopeless cases," Qin calmly said.

"My father will welcome me and restore my right to the throne once I bring him the Avatar!" Zuko finally exploded, Qin having pushed all his buttons.

"You don't really believe this yourself. The Avatar is gone for nearly 100 years and you will never return home. The people of the Fire Nation are already starting to forget you and in a few years, only few will remember your name. You will just be a footnote in the history books, an error that got corrected."

That said, Qin vanished in the floor and the trapdoor closed.

Zuko's anger, which had been burning bright just seconds ago, exhausted itself right then. Collapsing back into his chair, he looked downright depressed, since he knew these words were true, as much as he wanted to deny it. His drive to get his father's approval clashed horribly with the idea that regardless what he'd do, nothing would get him back home.

The Mechanist watched silently from the sidelines. He knew when someone was close to being broken, as several of their people had been driven over the despair horizon and he himself had been very close to it himself when his wife had died and their son got crippled for life. He'd tried to deny the truth, to find a way - any way to undo what had happened, but in the end he had to accept it and move on with life, as hard as it would be to do so.

He knew little of the internal politics of the Fire Nation, yet he did know that the young prince was slowly approaching a crossroads in his life.

* * *

_...over the next few weeks..._

"-Uuuuaargghh- -Yuck!-" Mai groaned, while sacrificing plenty to the sea.

Iroh looked rather guilty, while Zuko looked at him in annoyance. Finally, Iroh felt that maybe an apology was required. "I'm sorry that that happened. I bought these oysters as a really good deal in the last port. How should I have known that they were about to turn bad?"

"Uncle, that the store was selling them so cheap should have been a hint," Zuko snorted.

Finally, Mai was done and looked at him as if ready to do something drastic, the taste of acid and vomit in her mouth not helping her mood. "I hear you always carry a Pai-Sho stone with you?" she suddenly asked out of the blue.

"Yes, my White Lotus tile..." He pulled it out of his pocket to show her. "I had no idea that you..." **-tshak!- **Iroh went silent when a small throwing knife embedded itself directly into the middle of his Pai-Sho stone.

"For the future... no more oysters," Mai told him with steel in her voice, before leaving.

Iroh looked a little hurt at his damaged stone, while Zuko couldn't help but to smirk. "Well, you heard the lady. And frankly, I don't think she'll aim for the stone next time..."

o

"What in all names did you learn in combat training?" Mai asked in annoyance, while another of her strikes tapped Zuko, adding to his growing humiliation. "This is weak! You think spitting some flames gives you the advantage?"

Iroh watched the rather one-sided match with interest. It had started rather harmless with Zuko declaring during his firebending training, that with control over his bending, he'd smoke every opponent. Mai had taken offense at that, some words had flown and now they were both in a mock-duel, where one had to score as many simulated hits as possible. To Zuko's horror, when not firebending or fighting with his swords, he was at a severe disadvantage.

"When did you get this good?" he gasped, surprised.

"I'm not that good. I'm more of a thrower. It's that you are just this bad," Mai countered, while tapping him again.

Less than ten minutes later, Zuko was close to admit defeat She was simply too fast and nimble for Zuko, whose tactic was a direct frontal assault. While that worked well against a common soldier or when using firebending or swords, Mai was something different. He evasion of his clumsy attacks was really eating at his confidence and showed him, that there were things he was really bad at.

Finally Iroh felt that Mai had made her point. "Stop! That's enough, I think you showed him the error in his thinking."

Mai backed off and Zuko looked like someone had crushed his pride. Mai looked at him in annoyance. "Really, Zuko, your combat skills are mediocre at best... I won't stand for that, you'll learn how to move gracefully..." A groan from Zuko told her that he feared more hurt pride. "Oh, you big baby. Don't act like this is the end of the world."

Iroh watch them slowly walking inside. Seeing them reminded him of his own late wife. While it was an arranged marriage, she had been far from being one of these sissies often found in the court. But after each time they'd butted heads, they'd made up in the most beautiful ways. Ah, how much he missed her...

o

Zuko hated mornings, despite firebenders rising with the sun. And now he hated them even more than usual, since every time he'd slept more than a few hours, his scar would itch. It was even worse when the room was still filled with smoke form the candles. The doctor had told him the skin was still healing and that it would take some time before the itching would stop.

_Urgh, couldn't happen soon enough... _he complained, before getting a towel and making a beeline to the washroom to get ready for the day. Still half-asleep, he didn't pay any mind to his surroundings, walking in and trying to find the water bowl.

"Zuko, do you mind?"

OK, that voice made him wake up at once. Mai's voice in the washroom could only mean trouble. Looking around, he spotted her sitting in one of the wooden tubs, trying to look indifferent. However, that was made look absurd by the hot blush that covered her whole face and her hands covering her chest.

Now Zuko blushed as well and made a fast retreat out of the washroom.

Leaning against the wall he breathed heavy. He'd seen a lot more of Mai than he ever had before. Even though she was just close to 13 years, she'd developed nicely. Having a girl on board really was something all of them had to get used to. And maybe he would have to get used to it the most.

He waited until Mai walked out, dressed, and looked him into the eyes. "Just to make this clear: this never happened. All right?"

"Yes, Uncle Iroh would let me hear the end of it otherwise," Zuko agreed.

Mai then left without another word. Zuko knew that not only was she displeased, but she was angry with herself for openly showing her embarrassment. Mai didn't like open displays of emotion and he'd gotten used to it, although he wondered how much worse it would've gotten had she stayed under her parents' eyes for more years to come.

Perhaps he didn't even want to know.

o

Their ship was driving along the eastern coasts of the Earth Kingdom at half speed, as this would be the fastest was to reach the Eastern Air Temple, which was their next destination. On the way, Zuko spotted a heavily destroyed, huge wall very close to the coast. The wall really looked enormous, but from the looks of it, it had been destroyed long ago.

"What's this?" he asked. "Can't be the walls of Ba-Sing-Se. I know these are not as close to the sea and are intact."

"This is the former sea wall of Ba-Sing-Se." Zuko hadn't noticed Lt. Jee approaching. "This once was an extra section of the outer wall, created to secure the eastern coast close to Ba-Sing-Se. They quickly gave it up closely after the beginning of the war, when it was bombed to the ground by warships. The problem with the actual wall is, that we can't bring enough heavily weapons to destroy it as fast as these earthbenders rebuild it."

"You seem to know a lot about this?" Zuko asked.

"I studied the history of the city during the siege and thus know of these things," Jee replied, looking at the crumbled wall.

"You were in my uncle's army during the siege?" Zuko didn't know much about it, as Iroh clearly wasn't comfortable talking about it.

"Yes, he was."

Iroh had walked out to them and looked at the crumbled wall. "I went down in history as the man who breached the outer wall and stormed the agricultural zone. However, our losses became too high and I learned first hand that war is not what young people think it to be... so many lives simply thrown away."

Zuko and Jee were silent and Iroh took one last look, before leaving.

"I was there when his son got killed. It came out of nowhere. An arrow. When you hear it, it already is too late. Prince Lu Ten died in his father's arms, saying he felt sorry that he'd leave him behind." Jee shook his head. "Prince Iroh had never been the same after that day."

Zuko then was left alone.

He remembered his own grief when hearing of Lu Ten's death. Up until that point, he'd simply repeated what he'd been taught in school and what his father had told him. That the war was a good thing and would bring greatness to the Fire Nation. It took the pain of loss, before he'd learned that war was not as great as he'd imagined. It was one of the reasons why he'd spoken out at the war council.

While he would never backstab his own nation, this war had long lost its glory to him.

However, what could he do? He was just a banished, disgraced prince...

_**to be continued...**_

_**Next Episode: "Travels of the Banished"**_

* * *

**Notes:**

**If you think Zuko and Mai or a bit OOC, remember that this Mai is younger and there not as closed-up as she was three years later. Zuko is also less angrish due to Lu Ten's influence, which had not happened in canon and already shows a serious change in the timeline.**

**Two of the air temples are down by now, and the next one will be most interesting to write.**


	3. Travels of the Banished

**I've started this story after revistiting a concept I've sketched out years ago but never wrote after all, since I had other things to write at the time. When I picked this up again, I thought to give it a try and write it up, especially after seeing to comics and the Korra series, which finally gave me the needed ideas.**

**If you see the format you can by now see by my other works, that I've specialised in letting the canon story go in interesting directions by changing on factor, which ripples through the story. I found this gave me more freedom in my writing than other ways of doing so.**

**After positive feedback, I decided to go on with the story.**

**Chapter-specific notes are always at the end of the chapter to prevent spoilers.**

* * *

_"If your father really wanted you home, he would have let you return by now, Avatar or no Avatar. But in his eyes you are a failure and a disgrace to the Fire Nation."_

_-Zhao_

**Chapter 2: Travels of the Banished**

_"Zuko... I have to go"_

_"No, don't leave me!"_

_He tried to reach out, but a fall of flames separated him from his mother. He could only watch while she vanished behind it and a sense of deep loss crushed him._

_..._

Waking up, Zuko shook his head to shake of the remains of sleep.

He'd had many of these nightmares after his mother had left. They'd become few as the years went on, but recently the loss of his home had brought them back. It was most often the same, he was trying to hold onto her, but some force was taking her away from him, like this night.

Recently things sometimes got mixed up as well. He'd seen Mai getting cast into a sea of flames and Iroh being swallowed by lava, all while a voice mocked him that he'd never find happiness and that there was nothing that couldn't be taken away from him.

Zuko tried too forget these nightmares while stumbling to the washroom to get ready for the day, as the Eastern Air Temple was close now.

o

"There it is, the Eastern Air Temple. What a beautiful place," Iroh said while pointing at the structure ahead, while the ship was maneuvering through the vast channels in the tall rock island, the spires reaching far into the sky.

It indeed was in amazing piece of architecture. Instead of one huge temple on a big spire, it consisted of three smaller temples on three neighboring spires, connected with bridges. Even though the temple was clearly in a state of serious disrepair and grown over by plants, it still radiated a certain beauty. To the relief of everyone, since the temple was located right next to one of the channels, they could easily dock near the stairs that led to the top, although it would take them quite some time to reach the top.

"I couldn't care less for its beauty, as long as it gives me hints about the Avatar. Have you ever been here, uncle?" Zuko asked, seeing that Iroh seemed strangely familiar with this temple.

"Once, a long time ago. Like your father, I did spend a year in trying to find the Avatar in my youth. It by then had become sort of a family tradition. I felt the Air Temples were a dead end, so I spent the year searching elsewhere. I visited it at the end of my journey since I was in the area and it has lost nothing of its beauty," Iroh explained.

"I never knew you searched for him as well," Zuko remarked, surprised at this revelation.

"It was only a minor event in my long life. Shortly after returning, I met the woman who'd take my heart and give me my beloved son." Iroh looked a bit sad. "I spent many good years with them, until I entered the age where things are only taken from you and no longer given."

Now Zuko felt bad for reminding Iroh of his losses. "I'm sorry."

Iroh held Zuko by the shoulder. "No, no need to be sorry. I've come to terms with my losses, although I will always miss them."

Zuko watched Iroh leave, then looked to Mai, who'd been silent the entire time. "Sometimes I think the whole thing is harder on him than on me, and I feel miserable for losing my home. Do you think he misses home more than I do?"

"How should I know? I left my house willingly, since it had become unbearable, so I have no idea what missing a home feels like. This ship after just a few weeks feels more like a home than my parent's house had ever been," Mai bluntly told him.

"You really mean that? I thought you would have a hard time getting used to it. I certainly do..." Zuko asked, surprised.

Mai rolled her eyes. "Is this supposed to be a joke? The capital felt to me like a slow death-trap of utter boredom enriched with a corset of rules that suffocated me. Combine that with being forced to spend time with Azula, and you can imagine why I'm glad to be gone from there. You were one of the few things I did not hate at that place, and with you gone, I saw no need to remain ,either."

Zuko understood her all too well, she'd always looked unhappy apart from the time they had to themselves. "I forgot that you hate a lot of things... especially the color orange. I remember Ty Lee wearing a bright orange outfit once."

"Please don't remind me. I felt ready to stab my eyes out after that day." It seemed Mai remembered the reason why she hated that color all too well.

_Mai's surely something else..._ Zuko thought, while returning to looking at the temple. _She's sarcastic, sometimes blunt and rude, snarks a lot, is not overly concerned with her appearance and has an allergy against girly things. Agni, that is why I like this girl so much._

He did remember how he got officially introduced to her.

Zuko had never felt any connection to other girls that had been presented to him at his tenth birthday, half a year before his mother had left his life. Everyone had said after his father had waited so long before finding himself a wife, he should start looking early for a potential girls to court. However, half of the girls tended to dress in colors that hurt his eyes, giggled a lot and often acted as if they were just half their actual age. The other half was as stiff as a board and completely useless. His mother had even been concerned that he could have not been interested in girls at all.

It wasn't that; it was just that he couldn't find any interest in the usual upper-class girls of the Fire Nation.

His mother had already been desperate, when the very last girl appeared in front of him and he did recognize her from a few weeks ago. While she was hanging around with Azula, he knew it was most likely ordered by her parents and when Azula had pushed both of them into the fountain, the girl seemed genuinely angry at Azula, but managed to conceal her anger. She was very different from the other girls. Her dress was so dark, it was almost black. Instead of giggling, she held an expression as if the whole party was the inner circle of hell. And while she was polite, her undertone was bordering on insulting. She wasn't either girly, nor stiff.

Zuko of course had asked her for a dance right away.

Mai actually was a good dancer, which came with her upbringing. He did apologize again for the fountain incident, but she did not give him any grief over it. Later talking on the balcony, it seemed like Mai was incredibly blunt and other men would have been scared off, but he liked it. He'd never been a friend of all this double-talk in the court and once Mai was done, he'd asked if courting her would be all right. Mai had obviously not expected this and blushed, stammering that it was her parent's idea, but he wasn't fooled at all and the rest was history.

Yes, that had been a very good day, one he still fondly remembered.

o

"Well, this looks like it is a waste of time. This temple got torched very thoroughly," Mai commented, while they looked through the ruins. Everything looked like a flamethrower had went through and plants had gown over the ashes afterwards.

Zuko however was bothered by something else. "I see no human remains. At least bones should be left, lots of them, like in the Western Air Temple. Uncle, was it like this when you were here all these years ago?"

Iroh looked around, wondering about it himself, since it looked nothing like the grim picture of a massive graveyard he'd seen during his last visit. "No. There were countless skeletons of airbenders and soldiers and massive sky bison remains when I was here. It looks like someone cleaned up the temple in the meantime."

"It could be that the Avatar has returned here after so long. Even if he's an old man, I won't be careless... Lu Ten drilled into me that looks can be deceiving." Zuko touched his scar when saying the last thing, knowing it to be all too true.

They slowly made their way through the ruins, but apart from wildlife, they did not encounter much. Finally, they entered a roofless hall where a huge statue of a female airbender sitting in lotus position stood, although the left side of the huge statue had already stated crumbling after being exposed to the elements for almost a century. The walls of the hall were covered in niches with life-sized statues in them. Approaching the huge statue, Iroh read the inscription on the base.

"This is Avatar Yangchen, the Air Nomad Avatar of the previous elemental cycle phase. So this must be the inner sanctum of the temple, displaying the Avatars of days past, although it surely has seen better days," Iroh explained, pointing out how the back wall was crumbling, having already destroyed some of the statues. "I don't remember this from my visit, the entrance must have been blocked by rubble at the time."

Even Mai was impressed by the statues of Avatars past, noticing how they had been set up chronologically. She then noticed Zuko looking at one statue in particular. It seemed to be the most recent one, as the niches to its right were empty and she spotted a life-sized statue of Yangchen three niches to the left. It was the statue of a bearded man in the robes of the Fire Nation. At least this time Mai's school education paid off. Although it was only brief and mostly propaganda, a picture had been included. She knew this was Avatar Roku, the last known Avatar in history, since the Avatar after him was still unknown.

"Zuko? What's so fascinating about a statue of Avatar Roku?" Mai asked him.

Zuko shook his head, as if trying to clear it. "I have no idea... It was as if I'm attracted to it. I have no idea, why. In school they always talked about how Roku was shortsighted and naive because he didn't share Sozin's dream."

"Whatever you say," Mai waved it off, not in any mood for mystical stuff.

Iroh on the other hand had watched the exchange with great interest. He knew the reason why Zuko felt attracted to the statue of Roku. Roku's bloodline, which he had inherited from his mother, was calling out to him. Zuko might not be the Avatar, but he did have a connection to Roku and Iroh hoped that Zuko would on day be ready to hear the reason why Ursa, a commoner of all people, had been selected for Ozai to be his bride and mother to his children.

_Zuko's behavior can't be a coincidence,_ he thought, while watching Zuko and Mai inspecting the statues.

"The young people today. They know nothing of the past."

"What the...?!" Zuko whirled around at hearing this voice, a fireball ready, while Mai armed herself with some blades, expecting trouble.

They however did not expect to see an old man sitting in lotus position, wondering how they could have missed him. He did look like a strange fellow, his very simple robes giving him the appearance of a beggar monk and his long, white beard gave him an aura of wisdom of authority. The man also didn't seem to be afraid of them at all; even seemed happy to have visitors.

"A long time has passed since the last time pilgrims came to this place. I would not have expected a firebender to be my first visitor," the man said in a friendly manner.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Zuko demanded harshly, wondering if this man could be the Avatar.

The man didn't seem to take offense. "Oh, how impolite of me. I am Pathik, a spiritual seeker searching for enlightenment. The Air Nomads and I were spiritual brothers, we have always shared close ties... Oh yes, I can already feel your question. Neither am I an Air Nomad, nor the Avatar. I have no bending powers at all."

Zuko was taken aback by how insightful the man was. He studied that man for some moments and then felt stupid since the man obviously looked nothing like the Air Nomads shown in books, especially lacking the arrow tattoos that the Avatar should have as was still suspicious however what the man was doing in this lonely place.

Iroh was less concerned with him, feeling him to be harmless. "If the question is allowed, how long have you lived in here? When I visited during my youth, the temple was a giant tomb. Now it's mostly cleaned up."

"I have taken up residence twenty years ago and have laid the dead to rest. Regardless if Air Nomad or Fire Nation, in death everyone is equal. They are all now resting in the ground of this very temple, finally at peace. Since then I have taken it upon myself to restore this place, although it is hard work." Pathik then seemed to remember something. "But where are my manners, come, sit with me. I seldomly have visitors and I have some drinks to offer."

Zuko and Mai found the whole situation so weird that they didn't offer any protest, while Iroh found the man quite fascinating. They did hesitate for a moment when Pathik offered them something to drink, but their social training kicked in and they accepted, feeling it couldn't be that bad... big mistake. Once the three of them had tasted the strange juice, their eyes suddenly went wide in shock, before they spat it out in sheer disgust.

"That tasted like right out of a latrine! What is this stuff?" Mai demanded in disgust, the horrible taste still burning in her mouth.

Pathik for the first time seemed sheepish. "Oh, it's my special onion-banana juice. It's a very special flavor, but I guess it's not to everyone's tastes?"

"I'd rather drink sewer water," Mai said, making her opinion clear.

"It reminded me of when my sister put castor oil into my chalice," Zuko complained, hoping to forget the taste of the juice.

"I think I'll stay faithful to tea," Iroh said diplomatically, although his face spoke volumes.

"Oh, such a pity..." Pathik then took a close look at Zuko and Mai, making them uncomfortable with the attention he was giving them. He then finally spoke. "I see you two are strongly attached to each other. Yet, both of you hide your pain either through aggression or through outwardly indifference. However, I also feel that both of you are meant for great things."

"Should I be impressed by this cryptic nonsense?" Mai wondered, feeling more unnerved than she wanted to admit.

Pathik only smiled. "Oh, I understand why you are skeptical, but you'll see in time." he then turned his attention to Zuko. "I've helped many people over the years. I feel that you and the young maiden are on a voyage not only to become adults but to also find your place in the world. I feel that you will be confronted with many temptations and be challenged to overcome the lies you have told yourselves. When the time is right and you understand, I feel, you will return to me."

Mai and Zuko found this strangely mysterious. Could Pathik really see into the future, or was he just a very observant man who could draw incredible conclusions from just watching people? One thing was sure, this trip at least had not been for nothing, although they had not found anything about the Avatar in the temple.

"People like you a seldom found in these days. It is hard to strive for spiritual enlightenment when the world is in flames around you," Iroh remarked.

Pathik obviously felt flattered. "Well, thank you. Although living alone certainly has its disadvantages." That said he pulled out a portable Pai Sho board. "I long lost my contact to the people I played Pai Sho with. I think most have actually forgotten about me by now and I would love to play one or two games before you are on your way."

Iroh's eyebrows rose in surprise for a moment, when he saw Pathik placing a white lotus tile on the board prominently. "Well, it can't hurt. I have no real opponents on our ship and my nephew, despite his many strengths, has never gotten the game."

Zuko and Mai felt like facepalming. Leave it to Iroh to make a strange situation downright absurd. Here they wee now, in the ruins of a temple, in the inner sanctum with a man who could easily be over 100 years old, and his uncle had nothing better to do than to play Pai Sho with him. It sometimes made him question if Iroh and his father were actually related, considering their vast differences in personality.

Pathik then gave them a hopeful smile. "While we are playing, can I convince you three to give my onion-banana juice a second chance?"

Zuko, Mai and Iroh shared a look of horror. **"No way!" **they then said in union.

* * *

_...Fire Nation capital, a few weeks later..._

"Your majesty! It is a great honor to have you personally inspect the advances we have made," Ozai was greeted as soon as he, Qin and some high-ranking generals entered the huge building.

"Your reports are very interesting. Minister Qin convinced me that you have made very promising progresses you plan to show me," Ozai said, being unusually interested in something.

"Indeed, your majesty. Unlike your late father, who had never shown any interest in science and progress and who cut our funding so far that progress had been halted for many years, your more than generous funding has allowed us to make many breakthroughs and develop new technologies. Most of these can be very beneficial for the war effort. Please this way," the leading scientist told him.

Ozai knew exactly why he'd improved funding so much. "The key to superiority, and therefore victory, lies in technological progress. It allowed our nation to be superior to all the others. My late father never understood this."

"The Fire Nation is already in deep debt to you and your foresight, your majesty," Qin praised him. "Ever since you have risen to the throne, the war is going faster than ever towards final victory."

"Yes, I know..." He then saw that they'd arrived at their first destination. "This looks like a remarkable machine."

The first thing the scientist showed Ozai was an armored war machine on wheels with tank treads. "This is our most recent weapon. After the honored minister Qin here brought use the sketches, we refined the design and created this steam-powered battle tank. Its armor can withstand projectiles and heavy earthbender attacks and allows firebenders to safely shoot flames at infantry, if the enemy is not crushed outright under its treads. It can be modified to carry heavy weapons as well. We are especially proud of the fact that if an earthbender flips it over, the cabin was just rotate and the tank can go on. It houses a grappling hook launcher and with the treads replaced by spiked wheels it can even drive up mountains."

Ozai inspected the tank carefully. It was a weapon right to his liking; big and bringing terror to the hearts of their enemies. "Very impressive. How soon can mass production start?"

"We still have some small issues to iron out, then we just need your orders to the steel mills and factories," the scientist replied. "We also have future plans for it. Currently, our planned addition is a weapon all in itself."

He led Ozai to the next weapon. It looked a bit like a big metal tube on wheels. "Our research in blasting jelly allowed us to discover a powder which is well-suited to propel projectiles at high velocities. We have named it gunpowder and this prototype artillery gun you see here is already capable of firing iron projectiles that can shatter walls and demolish whole buildings."

Ozai raised an eyebrow. "Are they capable of bringing down the walls of Ba-Sing-Se?" he asked, seeing an option to victory.

The scientist shook his head. "Sadly, no. These walls are in a league of their own and their thickness would just cause the projectile to get stuck. However, we are already researching ways to create gunpowder weapons that can be carried by a single soldier, although this is still just in the concept phase. The prototype gun however can be brought into service very soon and can also be installed on ships."

"These two weapons alone are very impressive and will clearly bring our nation to victory much faster. You have done very well." Ozai was not lying, he was impressed by the results of the research.

"If you allow, your majesty," Qin said, "there is one discovery that may look small but perhaps could be most important not only for the war effort, but also to boost our economy even further."

"Color me interested. What could this discovery be?" Ozai asked, so he was led to a room where several beakers stood on a table. One of them contained a tar-like liquid. "I'm not impressed. Tar is already well-known to our nation, after all it is strictly controlled for usage in our flaming projectiles."

"You misunderstand, your majesty. This is no tar," the scientist said, holding up the beaker. "This liquid was discovered a few years ago when drilling for water on one of the outer islands and has amazing properties. We tested it on an earthbender prisoner and one of our remaining waterbender prisoners. Both were unable to bend it, meaning it is neither earth nor water. Instead, it is organic in origin and its properties could give us a major advantage, militarily and economically."

"As you know, our main fuel source at the moment is coal, which not only has to be heavily mined in the Earth Kingdom to satisfy our war demand, but also can be manipulated by earthbenders. Our lamps are powered by whale oil, which had brought us into conflict with the Water Tribes in the past and is an economic burden on our nation due to the unstable supply. This liquid, which we have named crude oil, is combustible and changes all of this..."

Ozai had been not interested at first, seeing no use for something that seemingly wouldn't have a military application, but the more he heard the more he became interested. He took a closer look at the black liquid. "Explain further..."

The scientist obviously was thrilled to have captured the Fire Lord's interest. "As you can see from the other beakers here, we were capable of breaking apart the crude oil into various products through a process of refining. Each of these products is also non-bendable and highly combustible. This one here was already tested to be a vastly superior replacement for whale oil in lamps. Another one is well suited for ship engines, although we are still working on adapting the concept of our current steam engines to it. The last two would be well suited for smaller engines, but development has only started on these. Not only would this reduce our dependency on coal but also vastly increase the efficiency and speed."

Qin added "Think of it, your majesty. Ships that can travel much fast and over far longer range before needing to refuel. Army vehicles that are fast. And not to speak of direct military applications. Crude oil floats on water and still burns. Waterbenders can't clean it away easily. It can be used to salten the earth easily as well."

Ozai was pleased. "I will increase funding significantly. Where are the main sources?"

"We have already established drilling rigs in the shallow waters of our nation and will build more as soon as the funds are available. We estimate that this can supply us for a very long time. Additionally we have found vast supplies in the Si Wong Desert. The Earth Kingdom has no power there and we are already in negotiations with the local tribes. We give them a small share of the profits, and they ensure the security of our installations."

"Good, good..." Ozai looked to the head scientist. "You have managed to impress me greatly. Continue your work and you will be rewarded with great wealth."

"Yes, your majesty!"

They left the facility and Ozai ordered his generals to take the other carriage, while he and Qin entered the first for some privacy. It was only during the way back to the palace that Ozai finally spoke. "You have done very well, minister Qin. Our nation will soon crush all opposition beneath its heel with these advances."

"You honor me, your majesty. Speaking of which, during my visit to our... 'co-worker' at the Northern Air Temple, I had the honor of meeting the banished Prince Zuko. I can see why you wanted him to be removed from your presence," Qin reported, having had no time to relay the incident yet.

Ozai made a small sign of disgust. "My son is weak and his refusal to honor the terms of the duel proved it. My daughter is a far more worthy heir."

"This girl that keeps him company was very impertinent as well. She even questioned the wisdom of your decisions," Qin continued.

"Princess Azula brought her to my notice as well. She told me that her parents are deeply disappointed with her and want her to be punished for turning away from the greatness of our nation. Such insubordination can not stay unpunished," Ozai said, looking affronted at the idea of being doubted.

"If I am allowed to ask, how do you plan on punishing the girl, your majesty?" Qin asked, curious what the Fire Lord could plan.

Ozai gave him a very knowing look that made Qin shiver a little. "If she wants to stay with my useless son, so be it. She will suffer the final consequence of her decision. After all, suffering is the best teacher."

* * *

_...some days later, a fire-colony port..._

Things had not exactly worked out according to plan for Zuko.

He'd planned that they'd take course to the Southern Air Temple next, but news from a nearby freighter had shot that down when telling them that some huge storms were brewing together in the seas south of Whaletail Island, making passage through the rough waters very dangerous. And while Zuko was a hothead, he knew his old ship was not exactly made to resist a major storm, so after some discussion with Iroh they'd moved north and spent time at the western coasts of the Earth Kingdom, visiting some of the colonies for minor supply runs and giving themselves something else to do.

Right now they were approaching the docks of one of the smaller colonies to stock up on some things they were running low on. Mai had hidden as usual, since she was expecting trouble. By now she seemed to treat it like some sort of game. She seemed to get some kind of satisfaction from humiliating the soldiers.

However, Zuko was in for a surprise when looking at the docks.

"Have they actually given up trying to get her back?" Zuko wondered, when seeing just a single soldier waiting at the docks where he'd expect at least a dozen.

His surprise was no wonder, after all, the previous two colonies they'd docked at, they'd been boarded by guards in order to find Mai and return her to her parents in the Fire Nation. Of course the soldiers had been met with failure, as Mai was really good at hiding, greatly frustrating the soldiers in the process. Zuko'd even felt a sort of perverse pleasure at seeing them turn up with empty hands after hours of fine-combing the entire ship and getting a snarky scroll from Mai in return.

"I would not be so sure about that, a single soldier is a bad sign for Mai," Iroh said, having a suspicion what this could be about.

"Why would it be bad if Mai's parents finally give up forcing her to return?" Zuko asked his uncle, wondering what Iroh was thinking.

Iroh shook his head, sometime Zuko could be horribly naive. "We'll see soon enough. Just heed my warning that you might not like this development."

_I should have expected this to happen. I hope Zuko does not react too bad,_ Iroh silently added.

The soldier came on board as soon as the ship had docked. "Prince Zuko, I was ordered to give you this." He gave Zuko a two scrolls that had the seal of Mai's family on it, although they looked a bit different from each other, then left right away.

"Strange..." Zuko knew better than to open Mai's mail, so he decided to wait if something would happen, but no one came. "Uncle, what could this mean?"

Iroh looked troubled. "I fear it means bad news for Mai. Come, let's wait for her inside. She will soon enough realize that no one is looking for her."

Indeed, sitting by the map table in the command tower, it took less than ten minutes, before Mai appeared.

"Have they finally given up trying to get me back?" she asked.

"They didn't tell us anything, just gave me two scrolls for you." Zuko gave her the scrolls.

Mai took one look at the seals and frowned a little. "I do recognize the seals. This one is from my uncle, the warden of the Boiling Rock prison, and this one is from my parents. I can already imagine the one from my parents is far worse, so I'm going to read it first."

Breaking the seal on the first scoll she read it and although to anyone else it seemed that she took whatever it was without emotion and the only movement were her eyes scanning the document, Zuko could see the small change that hinted at disappointment and she also went a tiny bit paler, hinting that it indeed had been a nasty surprise to her.

Finally, Mai was done and looked up. "Well, I have expected this. My mother found out that she's expecting another child. They told me basically that I'm no longer needed and disowned me." Seeing Zuko being about to jump up, she gave him a look that made him back down. "I don't blame the child, even feel sorry for it. Spirits only know what my parents will now pull off after their first try at parenting ended in failure. However, I did not expect what followed."

Now Zuko was really concerned. "What did they do?" he growled, already feeling incredibly angry that Mai's parents had discarded her as if she was broken goods.

"They did use their influence and somehow managed to convince your father to boot me out of the Fire Nation." Zuko looked shocked and Mai knew that this was hurting him. His following look of anger made his thought processes clear. "Yes, I know. They are important, but not _that _important. You better believe that they approached Azula first and she gave your father this idea. She must have found amusement in the idea of both of us living in banishment."

Zuko looked ready to explode. This time he did jump up and ran outside. His hands gripping the railing... **"RRRRAAAAAAHHHHHHHHGGGGGGHH!" **Even Mai was impressed at the huge fireball he was breathing out into the sky, while screaming his frustration out to the world. He then walked back in, still shaking in anger.

"Did you get it all out?" Mai asked, having just raised an eyebrow at this reaction.

"Most of it..." Zuko was still incredibly pissed, but the target of his anger was half a world away. "This little..." Zuko didn't continue, but it was clear who he meant.

_She's not worth losing any temper over,_ Mai thought darkly.

"This is indeed a very sad development. I would have never thought they would do so..." Iroh shook his head in disbelief. "It should have been expected, since they are very vocal supporters of my brother. It was only logical to them to adopt his approach to unwilling offspring." He knew it was hard on Zuko, but it needed to be said.

"They can banish me all they want. Both of you care more for me than they ever did." Mai then looked to the second scroll. "My uncle... He actually did care for who I am. He often got into shouting matches with my parents when he visited, telling them that they were wasting my talents and that I should be allowed to do things that I want to do. It was thanks to him that I was allowed to learn throwing knives."

Zuko was still unable to answer in his anger, but Iroh did. "I did meet him one time. A very interesting man, who despite his belief that discipline is very important was not parroting every word my brother said. You do seem to dread what he could write."

Mai finally opened the second scroll and read it quickly. "My uncle is really disappointed that I ran away from home, even though he adds that he is not surprised, citing the suffocating atmosphere in that house. His opinion on Zuko is also not the best and he questions if I really want to stay with someone who was disgraced like this. He however thinks that outright banishing me is way over the top. He can't condone my actions but hopes I'll stay safe... Zuko, there are also some words directed to you. He basically tells you to treat me well, because if he ever hears different, he'll hunt you down and rip you into pieces after removing a certain body part first."

"Your uncle sounds like a very scary man..." Zuko gulped. He'd never met the man, but that he'd openly threaten a prince was proof enough that he was not to be joked with.

"Oh, he might act all tough and is a hard-ass when on duty, but you wouldn't believe that he becomes a huge softie as soon as he's in my presence outside of duty," Mai commented.

Zuko looked skeptical, but decided to drop it. "Even if I do find the Avatar, you'd not be allowed to return... This isn't fair."

"My dear nephew, life is not fair by nature, we have to make it fair," Iroh told Zuko. "I learned this lesson. It sometimes is the way, that only if we work to change the world we are allowed the happiness we desire."

Zuko knew what this meant. "So I have to fight for her...? So be it!"

"She is worth even the worst struggle. I can see how good you are for each other. You especially, since you have lost your temper only a few times... Hm, I think..." Iroh seemed to be deep in thoughts.

Zuko knew when his uncle was like this, it was futile to try and talk to him, as he'd drifted off into his thoughts. Walking outside with Mai, he looked over the port they're in, until Mai interrupted him. "It seems our families are more alike than I thought at first. They both are horrible," Mai stated as a fact.

"Don't say that. Your uncle seems to have his priorities set straight and not all of my family are bad. Uncle Iroh is a good man and my mother..." Zuko paused for a moment. "She'd always been so good to me, not even once did she treat me badly. I wonder where she is now..."

Mai did remember Ursa. One thing she had seen very early was, that Zuko's mother was the exact opposite of hers. While her mother was very ambitious, strict, stuck-up and as boring as possible, Ursa was the exact opposite. She'd been very compassionate, relaxed, humble and not interested in political games. Perhaps it was because of coming from humble roots, after all people still wonder why Ozai had married a woman of very minor, almost totally impoverished rural nobility, which was basically indistinguishable from commoners.

Ursa had given her more warmth in days than her own mother had given her in her whole life.

Seeing the look of longing on Zuko, Mai wondered what it would have been, growing up with a mother who actually cared. Putting an arm over Zuko's shoulders, she joined him in just watching their surroundings in silence.

* * *

_...at the same time in the Fire Nation capital..._

Ty Lee wasn't having a good day.

In the contrary, she was having a bad day, like so many days recently. The girl normally was radiating optimism and it seemed nothing could damage her positive outlook on life. That is, until recently. It was bad enough to have six identical sisters and having parents who treated them interchangeable, but she'd always found a way to escape from the pressure in other ways. The more recent problems however made things more and more complicated.

First of course there was Zuko's banishment. She hadn't been that close to him, but her interactions with Azula and Mai had brought her into contact with him regularly. She would've been tempted to get a bit closer, but Mai had declared him hers and she didn't dare going against her. Zuko had been good looking, but she had no idea if that still was the case after what she had heard.

Even though he was always trying to be so serious, it had been fun having him around and even Mai's aura had gained some color in his presence.

That of course had led to the bigger shock that Mai had actually ran away from home to go into exile together with Zuko. While it certainly was kind of romantic, it had left her completely alone to suffer the fallout from Azula. Not that Azula had been throwing around fire in anger, she was far too composed to do anything like this. Azula instead had turned quite nasty.

Azula felt that Mai had committed personal treason against her by deciding to leave with Zuko and decided to make Mai an un-person in her presence. Ty Lee had mentioned Mai exactly once and as a result she was now missing the last ten centimeters from her long braid. Azula hadn't said anything, just took hold of her hair and burned it away. No words wee needed, it was clear that Mai's name was no longer to be said in her presence.

Her parents had almost had a heart attack when seeing her burnt hair and after being told what exactly had happened, had been tempted to no longer have her in Azula's presence. Alas, this of course was impossible, since she was the princess and denying her would have severe consequences.

Azula had proven how much she despised Mai just days ago. She had gone out of her way to help Mai's parents convincing the Fire Lord to banish Mai from the Fire Nation. Ty Lee would have never thought that Azula would go this far, but there was no doubt about it now.

She'd never lost a thought about the fact that Zuko, and therefore Mai, were always targeted as outlets when Azula had a bad mood or when she felt she needed to be petty or cruel. In retrospect it was simply astounding how the two of them had shaken off this verbal and sometime subtle physical abuse. Now that these two were gone, Ty Lee was suffering in their place and she didn't like it one bit.

Whatever loyalty she had to Azula was badly shaken by now.

It was made worse by Azula actively searching for a replacement for Mai, stating that this time she'd pick a girl that had no conflicted loyalties. Ty Lee knew Azula would force her to make friends with that girl, if she wanted or not. Ty Lee knew it din't work like this, you can't order someone to be friends. With Mai it had been a gradual process and despite their differences, they actually respected each other.

_Just a few more months, and then I'm free..._ she repeated again.

It was her last year in school. Just a little longer, and she was free of any obligations and even Azula then could not complain when she went her own way in life. She'd get far away and actually return the color to her life, which had lost most of its colors at the moment.

She sighed when walking past Mai's former house, her parents having removed all evidence of her very existence. She even envied Mai, who now was free to do as she wanted. She knew Mai's opinion on her parents, so she also knew the most likely girl felt no loss over this.

Finally arriving home, she saw her mother already waiting for her. Ever since the hair incident she was paying special attention to her. Ty Lee had always wanted special attention, but not due to almost being injured by Azula. Her mother looked a bit concerned, and she already knew what this could mean.

"Dear, Princess Azula wants to meet you in the palace gardens. She wants to show you... Mai's replacement." He mother looked pained when saying this. The few time Mai had been over, her mother had found a liking to the girl.

Ty Lee knew she could not postpone this for long. "I'll go as soon as I've changed out of my school uniform!" she said, then dashed upstairs.

Once in her room, she closed the door and sighed in resignation, her optimism really gone for today. _Just a few more months, and then I'll never have to see them ever again!_

* * *

_...at the Southern Air Temple..._

"Careful, Zuko! If you drop gravel on me, you won't hear the end of it," Mai warned Zuko, while they both climbed up the rope to the plateau of the Southern Air Temple.

It was times like this where Zuko actually wished he had an earthbender on his ship, who could have just created them a staircase to the top from the rock. However, since this was not the case and the Fire Nation no longer had any dragons for flying available, it left them with the hard way: climbing up the rope after they'd shot a grappling hook over the edge. Iroh had right away declined to accompany them, stating he was too old for this.

"It could be worse. At least its no longer raining!" Zuko shot back.

"Don't remind me." Mai was just glad they'd arrived just when the rain had finally stopped.

There wasn't much more conversation until they'd finally cleared the edge and were finally on the plateau from which a way led to the Southern Air Temple. Compared to the previous temple, it seemed to be in far better condition and didn't look like a huge fire had swept through it. However, this peaceful image was disturbed by the many human remains that littered the landscape, which even almost a century of rain and storms hadn't managed to remove.

Zuko didn't like this place at all, as it reminded him that the attack on the Air Nomads had been a savage slaughter. Mai didn't show it, but she was quite disturbed by the fields of bones they made their way through. Both teenagers, who'd been raised with stories of the greatness and glory of their nation, couldn't help but to question if it was really worth it.

Finally arriving at the temple, they were surprised that there were no bones inside. "They must have run outside in panic, where they were cut down like cattle," Mai finally concluded regarding the strange contrast.

The first thing they found was a huge door to the central room, which, unsurprisingly, was closed and locked. Zuko took a closer look at the locking mechanism. "Reminds me of these locks the Fire Sages use at their temples."

Mai looked annoyed. "You mean only an airbender can open it?"

Zuko looked annoyed as well. "Yes, the only other way would be to blow it open. But even if we could get explosives up here, I have no wish to bring the entire temple down onto us."

The further search gave them surprising results. Unlike the other temples, the western one burned out, the northern one being re-settled and the eastern one being a total ruin, this one looked as if time ha stopped inside. The rooms inside the temple were still in their original condition, even the time seemed to have started to eat at the substance. The big library of the temple had not been touched, but they wouldn't have known where to look at anyway. Finally, looking for the room of the head monk brought results when they uncovered an entry in his journal.

Zuko looked at the book. "Mai, listen to this:_ 'Monk Gyatso is acting foolish in regards to the Avatar. He still insists that Aang is to grow up with personal freedoms and not under a strict training regime, as it was decided. Doesn't he understand that the growing tension with the Fire Nation means we need the Avatar sooner? He even scolded us for telling his charge before his 16th birthday...'_." Zuko looked up. "This is actually a really good lead, I wonder why my ancestors ignored it."

Mai waved it off. "Just remember what kind of men they were."

Zuko knew this was as much an answer as he could expect. "Let's see if we can find this Gyatso's room..."

It took some searching, but thankfully all the rooms had name plaques besides the doors, making things far easier. Logically, this Gyatso must have been rather prominent and therefore most likely had lived in the inner parts, near where the head monk had lived. The room looked relatively spartan, but his desk attracted their attention. One book laid open on the desk, while two scrolls laid beside it.

Mai took a closer look at the book. "It is from monk Gyatso... Let's see." Mai picked it up and started from the beginning. "It actually starts when he was told about his charge being the Avatar at an early age. It's the first entry..." She then skipped through the pages. "It seems to be mainly about his student alone, as there's nothing about himself in it... The last entries however are interesting."

"Why, what is written in there?" Zuko asked.

"It seems the council decided to tell the Avatar early about his heritage. Gyatso writes this had bad effects on Avatar Aang's psyche and that the other boys avoided him as well. When the council decided to send the Avatar to the Eastern Air Temple for strict training and away from his mentor, he ran away with his flying bison. In his last entry, Gyatso expresses his hope that they can recover Aang unharmed." Mai closed the book. "I guess this means we won't find him here after all."

Zuko picked up the first scroll and read it. "Ah yes, the Avatar pretty much says why he left here. He felt crushed by the pressure, very alone and the prospect of being separated from his mentor made it too much."

Zuko was feeling strangely reminded of himself when reading this. He himself had also felt very alone in the world due to his position, the very high expectations had weighted heavy on him and he'd felt very alone after his mother had left his life. In a way he did understand the Avatar, even though he'd never met him.

He then took the other letter and removed the item that sealed it, putting it into his pocket, before he read it. "This one is addressed to the Avatar. Gyatso has written it at the start of the attack. Listen:

_'Aang, I hope you will be able to read this. If you find this scroll it means I am no more. I write this in great haste, as the Fire Nation is attacking the temple on their dragons. The world is facing dark times. I never wanted them to separate us and I planned to fight for you... Aang, I put my faith into you that you make the right decisions. The world needs the Avatar, but the Avatar needs to be human, not a single-minded tool of balance..._

_I hear them coming, I need to go. They however won't get me without a fight. Aang, live long and bring peace to the world._

_Your loving mentor, Gyatso'._"

"Well, he obviously didn't return. So it's another dead end," Mai commented. "Make you wonder why everyone else didn't find these before we did."

Zuko wondered himself. "Maybe uncle does know."

"So we got little out of this trip, other than knowing the Avatar with a child who ran away... Zuko, why are you putting these things into your bag?"

"Maybe Uncle Iroh has a use for them. He's good at these things," Zuko said, while closing up his bag.

Walking outside, they were surprised when suddenly numerous small, white animals noticed them and ran away. Mai looked after them in disgust. "What in all names was this? White rats?"

"To be honst, I don't even want to know, I just want to get out of here," Zuko replied, while they made their way back to the rope.

o

"The temple had been empty. And to be honest, I don't want to ever go there again. It's too depressing," Zuko told his uncle as soon as they had returned to the ship.

"So you found nothing at all?" Iroh asked, while playing some Pai Sho with a few members of the crew, although he seemed to take notice that Zuko didn't like being around so much death.

_He's so unlike his father, who would have found the sight amusing,_ Iroh thought.

"Not exactly nothing." Zuko showed him the things he'd found in Gyatso's room. "I now know what actually happened, but without knowing where the Avatar ran off to, it leads everywhere, meaning to nowhere at all..."

Mai and Iroh could already see a depression forming. While Zuko had become better, he was still prone to become depressed or angry. The prospect of having searched through the temples without getting anything more concrete. Iroh knew he'd have to give Zuko a small ray of hope in order to make him go on.

"Prince Zuko, I'd not exactly said you accomplished nothing. Unlike your predecessors who treated the Avatar as a mere target instead of a real human being, you managed to find more clues than they did in almost a century," Iroh said, getting up from his game of Pai Sho. "Having these documents at our disposal, we have the first real clues about his whereabouts since the days of Sozin."

"You mean I'm the first who actually got this far?" Zuko all of a sudden felt a lot better.

Iroh gave him a small smile. "You are still at the start of your search, but you already have better chances to at least find out what happened to the Avatar, than anyone else before you did."

That reminded Zuko of one fact. "What if he fled and died of old age... Wouldn't that mean he would''ve been reborn into the Water Tribes?"

Iroh knew where this would lead to. "Your grandfather Azulon had had the same thought. Why do you think he ordered all waterbenders to be captured? The Southern Water Tribe is crippled now, but we would be hard pressed, if the Avatar was reborn to the Northern Water Tribe. You know the war against them is still ongoing and they have retreated into their territories."

"I doubt the Avatar is there," Mai said, while putting her attention to the Pai Sho table. "They would've used him as a weapon long ago otherwise and we would know."

Lt. Jee approached them right then. "Regardless what your plans are, we right now have a more pressing problem at our hands. Our coal supply is seriously depleted and we only have coal for ten days left."

"Damn it," Zuko cursed. It times like these where he got reminded of his status. "Where can we re-supply?"

Jee walked to the map table and showed a marking at the south-western coast of the Earth Kingdom. "Since we would be unwelcome on Whaletail Island, as the Southern Raiders dislike anyone meddling into their affairs, our best bet is this supply depot a little north of Kyoshi Island. We should manage to go there in a few days."

Iroh also gave Zuko a knowing look. "Also remember that the Avatar had been a child when he left. He could have never survived the cold of the South Pole. Our best bet would be to look for further clues in the Earth Kingdom."

Zuko then had made his decision. "Lt. Jee, set course for the depot."

"Right away, Prince Zuko."

"Your men respect you," Iroh observed. "At the start of the journey they had been very unhappy with how you treated them in your anger, but you have become a lot better since then and it gave your the respect of the crew."

Zuko didn't know what to say, and then felt something in his pocket. "What...? Oh." Taking it out he saw it was the item hat had sealed the letter and he recognized what it was. "Uncle Iroh, here. I think you have more of a use for it."

"Where did you find a white lotus tile?" Iroh wondered, looking at the weathered Pai Sho tile.

"The letter to the Avatar was sealed with it. Don't ask me, why." That said, Zuko returned his attention to other things at hand.

Iroh took a closer look at the tile and then smiled. _This perhaps is the most important discovery of them all..._

* * *

_...Fire Nation supply depot, some days later..._

The supply depot was nothing to write home about. Essentially just the docks, a few buildings, huge coal storage towers and the loading cranes. The rest of the surrounding landscape outside of the walls was just wilderness. That however was not what had captured Zuko's eye. It was the huge cruiser, which easily dwarfed his ship, that was docked there. He put little attention to the crew preparing to open the coal chutes and instead groaned when seeing the name of the ship.

"Oh, that's perfect..." Zuko groaned.

Mai raised an eyebrow at his stranger behavior and Iroh explained. "This is Captain Zhao's personal ship."

"Ah." That was explanation enough for her.

Zhao was one of the most unpleasant men she'd ever met, as the last time she'd seen him during the Agni Kai had proven. It seemed that no one actually liked him at all. Zuko was very open with his dislike while Iroh usually hid it behind politeness. To think of it, everyone disliked Zhao except for the Fire Lord, who for some reason favored him.

Zuko ground his teeth together. "Let's get this over with as quick as possible and then leave. I have no wish to meet him in person."

"Ah, Prince Zuko."

Zuko cursed silently about his back luck when Zhao right then came aboard, spotting them at once on the foredeck. The man looked as smug as ever and seemed to enjoy being in a position of strength against the disgraced prince.

"Captain Zhao," Iroh said as polite as possible, although it was clear he disliked the man.

"And General Iroh, great hero of our nation." The way he said this, it was clear he saw him as actually weak for abandoning the siege. "And who do we have here. If this isn't the girl who is swooning over the young prince. I did hear the news."

Mai didn't change he dull expression, but deep inside the insult had stung. It was one thing that she got banished, but it was something different if she was made fun of because of it. "You are certainly not here just to insult me."

"Oh, I wouldn't even think about it." Zhao's innocent act also needed work, as it was painfully clear he didn't mean it in the slightest. "I actually wanted to use the opportunity before I have to leave for my new base to invite the three of you to dine with me and my crew."

"Do you really think we...!" Zuko started, his temper getting the better of him, but Iroh held him back.

"Oh, we would be delighted to accept," Iroh said diplomatically.

"Good, I'll see you in two hours." That said, Zhao left.

Zuko waited until Zhao was gone, before he looked angry at his uncle. "Uncle, why did you do this?" he growled, right now not happy with Iroh.

"To deny Captain Zhao's invitation would have caused you problems. He is very smart and lays out his traps carefully. Better be careful during the lunch. I'm sure he has more planned against you," Iroh cautioned Zuko.

Zuko looked especially unhappy, then felt Mai's hand on his shoulder. She didn't look thrilled, either, but seemed to take it better. "Just get over with it. He can't do anything worse than your father did."

Zuko knew she was right, while he touched his scar. Zhao couldn't be worse than his own father.

o

It was pretty clear that the lunch invitation was mostly to show Zuko how much he'd lost. The mess hall of Zhao's ship was huge compared to the one on Zuko's ship and the crew was easily numbering over 300 men. At least his cooks were much worse compared to the cook on Zuko's ship, a small consolation while he, Iroh and Mai sat at the head table of the officers that overlooked the mess hall.

So far, everything had been civil and lunch was done without any problems and drinks (non-alcoholic due to discipline) were given out. The three of them however had a bad feeling. If Zhao had held back until now, it meant he was waiting for the right moment to do whatever he intended to do.

As if on cue, Zhao decided to strike and called for attention. The hall went silent, all eyes directed to him.

"I wanted to thank the great General Iroh and young Prince Zuko for dining with us together with their adorable female companion. As you all know, the Fire Lord has banished his son, the prince, renounced his ties to him and will not let him return to the Fire Nation unless he finds the Avatar. The Fire Lord believes his son is too soft, and believes by doing this, he will become strong."

"I commend the Fire Lord's discipline. For example, it seems I need to remind Prince Zuko that, despite wearing the uniform of the army of the Fire Nation, he does not have the strength nor the heart of a soldier. It is like a child wearing a costume."

_So, this is what he'd been planning, _Mai thought darkly, while watching Zuko getting more wound up by the second.

Zuko himself had been prepared for much, but not that Zhao but humiliated him in such manner publically. He already saw the mocking looks of the soldiers. They didn't see a prince, the saw a disgrace they barely tolerated in their midst. If Zhao intended to exclude him even further than already, he'd reached his goal.

Zuko was about to jump up and attack Zhao, when he felt Mai's hand on his own. She shook her head then looked to the guards standing beside the table. Only then did Zuko understand. Zhao wanted him to lose his temper and attempt to attack him outside of a duel. Thus he would have a reason to arrest him.

Zuko stood up slowly and looked at Zhao, still very pissed at him. "One day, my father will take me back and you will bow before me." He then left in a huff.

Zhao looked after him, a little disappointed, then laughed before giving Mai an interesting look. "Well, it shows he's not ready to lead our nation ever. His taste in female companions also is lacking."

Mai at first didn't say anything, just took her chalice an then threw her drink into Zhao's face. "You think you are powerful. I'll say only this: Zuko is a hundred times more of a man than you are."

Mai then left and the guards looked helplessly between her and Zhao, as this wasn't exactly an attack, just a woman showing her displeasure. The crew had watched the whole scene in stunned silence, not believing that a prepubescent girl had just thrown her frink into their captain's face and called him less of a man, before leaving just like that.

Iroh felt this was the best time to take his leave. "The lunch was tasty, if not exactly up to the standards of our cook," he excused himself, unable to hold back this little arrow.

Zhao finally shook himself out of his surprise and his crew knew right away to keep away from him when seeing the pulsing veins on his forehead.

Iroh meanwhile had returned to their ship and found Zuko and Mai standing at the bow of the ship, Mai being busy with calming Zuko down in her own way. It seemed to work as well, as Zuko started to hold her close. It was then when Iroh noticed Lt. Jee approaching him and looking with interest at the display in front of them.

"It is really beautiful to see such young love blossom, doesn't it?" Iroh asked, feeling young when seeing this.

"Perhaps, but I'm also grateful for the young lady joining us. After the first week we all feared that we would have to suffer under Prince Zuko's moods and anger for years. Her presence actually managed to make him reasonable," Jee observed.

Iroh stroked his goatee in thought. "Indeed. Her mere presence helps calming down my dear nephew. Without her to help him, Zuko would have gone to a dark place. I think he'll soon be ready to re-learn firebending, this time without the constant comparisons to his sister, which have crippled so much of his potential and without anger, now that there is something else for him."

"I wondered about this. I've seen him using his firebending, but no actual training. I thought he simply didn't feel the need anymore," Jee said, remembering Zuko training with weapons, but not his bending.

"Oh no... he gave up on it, feeling that it was hopeless after the fateful Agni Kai. I know he would have started again on his own in due time, but approching him looks to be the better option," Iroh concluded.

They then left to leave the couple in peace.

* * *

_...some weeks later, western coast of the Earth Kingdom..._

"Good thing we landed in this bay, this has been a very strong storm and our ship wouldn't have survived it out on the open sea," Lt. Jee said, while watching some of the crew making repairs to the small damage done to the ship in the rough weather while make some marks on a scroll. "Thanks again for spotting it this early, General Iroh."

"Oh, it was all a matter of experience, Which my nephew right now is still lacking," Iroh waved it off. "I trust that the crew is in good health?"

"Oh yes... with exception of Lady Mai. It seems she is a bit sensitive to too much ship movement and is still suffering from it." Jee looked to his left, where Mai was being busy with sacrificing to the sea, pointing to her with the rolled-up scroll. "She is a very tough girl, but her stomach is almost comically weak."

**-whiiiiz- -tack-** A throwing knife shot the scroll out of his hand and pinned it against the command tower (as impossible as it seemed, considering it was made of metal). Jee looked to Mai, who was busy with wiping her mouth and giving him a dark look.

"It is enough that I get sick. No need to make fun of me as well." Mai then looked around. "Where's Zuko?"

"Oh, he said he needed to get his mind to other things and is taking a walk through the woods. He should be back soon," Iroh said, pointing to the forest that began a little distance off the coast.

Indeed, Zuko was trying to think while walking through the forest.

_I've studied the journal of this monk from start to end... The way he describes the Avatar, he was just a regular child, not an almighty warrior ready to strike down the Fire Nation, _he thought, trying to get his information into order.

_Gyatso had no idea where his student has run off to. The South Pole is out, no kid, not even the Avatar, can survive out there on his own for long. That leaves the Earth Kingdom... the huge Earth Kingdom. _Zuko knew it would be like searching a needle in a haystack, if the Avatar was even alive by now.

_The sages could be wrong that they would know if the Avatar was reborn. They claim they'd know right when it happens, but what if they are wrong? _Zuko felt as if he only now understood the whole magnitude of the problem.

Even though he still was determined to find the Avatar win back his honor and make up for his mistake that had caused his father to punish him, he was starting to doubt and lose his motivation. Mai made no secret that she thought of Ozai as cruel and heartless and said Zuko was not to blame for what happened to him. Everyone else would have gotten a sharp reply, but Mai, who was blunt and never censored the truth, was someone had could hardly write off as being biased.

_Am I actually starting to accept that this is my life now?_ he wondered.

Zuko didn't watch out while thinking and suddenly. "Ahhh!" He'd missed a steep slope and suddenly was tumbling down, only to come at a sudden stop when his left leg slammed into a tree and a sharp pain shot through him.

He didn't dare to move, the pain in his leg being answer enough. "Oh great... a broken leg is the last thing I needed."

"Are you all right? You took a nasty fall."

Zuko froze when hearing this voice. He felt that this was impossible, that his mind was just playing a trick on him. After all, too much longing could have strange effects he'd once heard. He slowly moved his head to face the source of the voice.

"Zuko?"

Zuko was frozen in disbelief. It felt like a strange dream. There was a woman standing there in the Earth Kingdom clothes of the common folk, holding a basket with herbs in it. She looked a bit older than he remembered her, some lines having appeared in her face, yet she'd lost nothing of her beauty. Right now she looked at him in shock, as if seeing a ghost.

"Mother?"

Then the stress became too much for him and part of him was glad that Azula was far away. She would have never let him live down the fact that he fainted right then.

_**to be continued...**_

_**Next Episode: "As Time goes by"**_

* * *

**Notes:**

**Now, let me first tell you that I did have read "The Search", but found Ursa's decision to erase her own memories very questionable. While I will keep almost all of the backstory, her story after leaving the Fire Nation is different.**

**While you'd connect technological progression more with the Korra series, I always found it odd that the Fire Nation would have such a strange tech tree. More explanations and how this will impact the story will be seen later. It also gave me a chance to show a side of Ozai that I suspected considering the seemingly rapid technological adcances in his riegn: that he's very fond of technological progress.**

**You have probably noticed that Zhao's speech and the setting are from the movie. The movie is shitty, but with some alterations, the scene was actually salvagable.**

**An the Pai Sho tiles... Let's say while I took a guess with Pathik, Gyatso was heavily implied in canon to be a member.**


End file.
